look news india
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday questioned Maharashtra’s decision to waive and reduce police security charges during cricket matches with retrospective effect from 2011, saying there was something black in the mix.
The government said the decision was taken with a view to financially benefit the state exchequer by holding such matches in the state and claimed that the security fees were much lower than other states.
RTI activist Anil Galgali filed a PIL challenging the state government’s decision to reduce police security charges at cricket matches since 2011.
The court wondered how the state government could compare a match held in Mumbai with a match held in cities like Kanpur or Lucknow. Is the security cost of a match in Mumbai the same as a match in Lucknow? What is the explanation for this? The chief said, something is wrong. Upadhyay asked the question.
Senior advocate Milind Sathe, appearing for the state government, told the court that cricket associations are protesting against the low rates in other states. Therefore this decision has been taken with retrospective effect. The court said that when the match took place the organizers knew that they would have to pay. You could have been covered without charge but a Government resolution (formerly setting the fee for security cover) has been issued stating that you will have to pay a fee. They organized a match and after ten years you change the fees, the court scolded.
During the hearing on December 17, the court has directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to file an affidavit in response to the petition.