Justify waiver of police cover dues from IPL organisers since 2011: HC slams Maharashtra govt

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The Bombay High Court (HC) on Thursday directed the Maharashtra government to justify its decision to reduce and waive the arrears from the organisers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches for police deployment and noted that it did not find any rationale behind the move.

A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar said that while the government kept increasing the water tax charges on slum dwellers, it was waiving off the police cover fees from "cash-rich" organisers of cricket matches.

"What is this? What are you [government] doing? This is a fee not tax. You will keep on increasing the water tax from slum dwellers and then you waive off the fee for such cricket matches. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is the richest cricket association globally," the court said.

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Anil Galgali, in which he challenged the Maharashtra government's decision to reduce the rate for police protection provided to IPL T-20 matches with a retrospective effect from 2011.

Galgali's plea stated that in 2021, Mumbai Police had asked Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to pay Rs 14.82 crore for providing cop protection for the games organised between 2013 and 2018 at the Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums. The petitioned further stated that the police were yet to recover the arrears from MCA. As per information obtained under the Right to Information Act, the police have sent 35 letters to MCA seeking payment of the dues, the petition added. Besides this, no serious effort has been taken by the police to recover the dues, it claimed.

As per two Government Resolutions (GR) issued in 2017 and 2018, the organisers had to pay around Rs 66 to 75 lakh per T20 and One-Day match, respectively, and Rs 55 lakh for a Test match held in the Mumbai-based stadiums.

However, in June 2023, the state issued a new GR, reducing the fee for a T20 and One-Day match to Rs 25 lakh, the plea stated, adding that the GR had a retrospective effect from 2011, and thus it waived the arrears to be paid by the organisers.

Galgali's plea sought the quashing of the June 2023 circular issued by the government to the extent that it is applicable from 2011 and hence, binding on the recovery of the Rs 14.82 crore arrears from MCA. The activist also sought the court's direction for the police department towards steps to recover the arrears along with appropriate interest.

While hearing Galgali's petition on Thursday, the bench directed the state government to file an affidavit in two weeks justifying its decision to reduce the amount and explaining the waiver of the arrears.

"Prime facie, we do not find any rationale for the state government to have not only reduced the fee to be paid by the organisers for police deployment but to have also waived off the arrears," the court said, adding that the affidavit shall be filed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of the state government or any other senior official authorised by him. The court directed the state to disclose the total arrears to be paid by the organisers of cricket matches since 2011 and the steps taken by the government to recover it in the affidavit.

(With PTI inputs)