Bombay HC Questions Rationale Behind Protection Fee Waiver for Cricket Matches

�Mumbai:�The Bombay High Court said on Thursday that prima facie there was no rationale behind Maharashtra government’s decision to reduce the fees for police protection provided to cricket matches held in the state since 2011. The court directed the government to respond within two weeks to a PIL challenging the decision.

While hearing a PIL filed by RTI activist Anil Galgali, a Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Amit Borkar criticised Maharashtra government’s decision to retrospectively reduce police protection fees for cricket matches, including Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket matches. The petition has challenged a government resolution issued in 2023 to reduce protection charges and waive arrears for police services provided to IPL T20 matches retrospectively from 2011.

The petition revealed that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) still owes Rs. 14.82 crores for police protection during IPL matches held at Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums between 2013 and 2018.

The petition stated that according to a government resolution of 2017, the police protection fee chargeable in Mumbai was Rs 66 lakh per match for T20 and ODI cricket and Rs 55 lakh for Test cricket. For T20 and ODI matches held in Nagpur, Pune and Navi Mumbai, Rs 44 lakh was the fee and for Test matches it was Rs 38.5 lakh. As per a GR issued on November 12, 2018, the police protection fee was increased to Rs 70 lakh for T20, Rs 75 lakh for ODI and Rs 60 lakh for Test matches held in Mumbai. The same for T20 and ODI matches held in Nagpur, Pune and Navi Mumbai was Rs 50 lakh, while for Test matches, it was Rs 40 lakh.

However, the 2023 GR has drastically reduced the fees to Rs 10 lakh for T20 matches and Rs 25 lakh for ODI and Test matches retrospectively. The petitioner said that the GR had a retrospective effect from 2011.

“What is this? You keep increasing water charges for the public, even for slum dwellers. But reduce these fees? BCCI is one of the richest cricket associations globally. Is this how they become rich?”the chief justice asked the government pleader.

The court directed the additional chief secretary or any other senior official authorised by him to file a comprehensive affidavit disclosing total arrears to be paid by the organisers of cricket matches since 2011, the steps taken by the government to recover the same and the rationale behind waiving the pending dues. The court will hear the matter next on October 7.