A new plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court, urging the creation of a regulatory framework to control the resale of concert tickets and to block websites engaged in illegal ticket sales. The petition was brought forth on Tuesday by petitioner Samridhi and four others, who are represented by senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao and advocate Malak Bhatt.
The plea specifically points to issues surrounding the resale of tickets for events such as concerts by popular artists and cricket matches, which often see tickets being sold at exorbitantly high prices through unauthorized channels. The petitioners have highlighted the upcoming Coldplay concert as a prime example, where despite official partnerships with platforms like BookmyShow for legitimate sales, tickets are still being sold unlawfully on other platforms.
In their filing, the petitioners argue that the prevalent black-marketing of tickets not only exploits fans but also undermines the overall event experience by making access prohibitively expensive for average consumers. They propose that digital ticketing solutions like those offered by BookmyShow should include safeguards to prevent such practices, including measures to thwart “ticket bots” that buy up large numbers of tickets for resale at inflated prices.
Justice Sanjeev Narula, who initially received the plea, has directed that the matter be listed before the court presided over by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on October 23, given that a similar public interest litigation (PIL) is currently pending there. The earlier PIL, which also addresses issues related to ticket scalping, has prompted the court to seek responses from both the Centre and the Delhi government.
The petitioners have called for the Central government to intervene more assertively by blocking unauthorized resellers and establishing clear regulations to ensure fairness in the ticket purchasing process. They have also suggested the formation of a committee to specifically look into and address these issues, referencing ongoing challenges such as those experienced during the “Dil-Luminati Tour” of artist Diljit Dosanjh, scheduled for October 26 at JLN Stadium in New Delhi.
