The Bombay High Court raised concerns on Tuesday over the Maharashtra government’s decision to retrospectively reduce and waive police protection fees for cricket matches dating back to 2011, suggesting that “something is amiss” in the rationale provided by the state.
The matter surfaced during a hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by RTI activist Anil Galgali, who is contesting the state’s decision to diminish the rates charged for police security at cricket matches, applied retroactively from 2011. The Maharashtra government defended its decision by highlighting the financial advantages to the state treasury from hosting these matches and comparing the lower security fees charged by other states.
Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar expressed skepticism regarding the comparisons made between the security costs in cities like Mumbai and those in cities such as Kanpur or Lucknow. “Is the security expenditure incurred in a match held in Mumbai the same as the one held in Lucknow? What is this justification? Something is amiss,” remarked Chief Justice Upadhyaya.*
Senior advocate Milind Sathe, representing the state, explained that the decision to lower the fees was influenced by demands and protests from cricket associations, which pointed out the disparity in rates across different states. Despite these explanations, the court noted that event organizers were aware of their financial obligations at the time the matches were held.
“You (government) could have provided the security without charge but you had issued a government resolution (in the past fixing charges for security cover for matches) and made them know that they will be charged. They hosted the matches and now after 10 years, you are revising the fees,” the court stated, highlighting the potential inconsistency in the government’s approach.
The bench has scheduled further hearings for December 17 and directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to submit their affidavits in response to the petition.
According to the plea, Mumbai police had not yet recovered arrears totaling Rs 14.82 crore from the MCA for Indian Premier League (IPL) matches held at the city’s Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums between 2013 and 2018. Despite initial government resolutions setting high rates for match security, a June 2023 resolution significantly reduced these fees and applied the changes retroactively, leading to a waiver of the pending arrears.
