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Coldplay Mumbai Concert: Bombay HC Dismisses PIL, Says Only State Can Act On Ticket Scalping

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Mumbai: Though, there is a ‘need for robust regulatory mechanisms’ against the unethical practices in the online ticketing ecosystem, the responsibility for creating a statutory framework lies with the legislature, the Bombay High Court has said in its order dismissing the a public interest litigation (PIL) against black marketing and ticket scalping at major events.

The division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar had on January 10 dismissed the PIL filed by a city based lawyer Amit Vyas alleging foul play during the online ticket sales of British band Coldplay scheduled in Navi Mumbai later this month.

Vyas had sought directions to the state government to frame laws, rules and regulations to prevent the practices of ticket scalping, touting and black marketing concerning the sale of tickets for major events.

Additionally, a request was made to the court to order the formation of a committee to conduct an inquiry into the matter and to issue directions to online ticketing companies to cooperate with the committee.

Dismissing the plea, the HC observed that the power to enact a law doesn’t lay with the judiciary. “In keeping with the constitutional scheme, courts can only guide the executive to comply with duties explicitly cast by constitutional provisions. They cannot assume a supervisory role over lawmaking powers, which remain within the exclusive domain of duly elected legislative bodies,” the court said.

The HC said they can, however, issue such directions only in case of violation of fundamental rights. “However, the practices of ticket scalping, hoarding and resale by private entities and individuals, without any direct or substantial involvement of the state or its instrumentality, do not per se violate fundamental rights of citizens,” HC observed.

“While Article 19(1)(g) guarantees the freedom to practise any profession or to carry on any occupation, this provision neither creates a fundamental right to access privately organised events nor does it prohibit all profit-driven endeavors,” the court further said adding, “No unreasonable restriction has been shown to be imposed by the state in relation to ticket scalping or resale activities by private entities.”

Maharashtra

Will BMC Wake Up? Eastern Freeway Becomes Mumbai’s Most Dangerous Road At Night Due To Defunct Street Lights

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Mumbai: Motorists on the Eastern Freeway, which connects south Mumbai to Ghatkopar, are yet again suffering from blackouts as the street lights at several stretches of the road are defunct. The 16.8 km signal-free road connects south Mumbai from P D’mello Road to the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd link road and is preferred by lakhs of motorists to reach the eastern suburbs.

However, instead of providing basic facilities like street lights, the BMC departments concerned are busy passing the buck. “The speed limit is 80 kmph and the absence of streetlight makes the road very dangerous. Accidents can happen any time,” said Hemant Vichare, a daily user.

“It has been at least six months since the road lights have been non-functional, especially from the Wadala to Chembur section. I have never seen all the lights working in the tunnel as well. During the rains, the water accumulates on the roadside and without lights, it becomes very risky to drive,” said D Pinto, a daily user of the Freeway and resident of Chembur.

“The least BMC could have done is install working street lamps. Earlier, it was only the Wadala section that was dark; now even the flyover towards Ghatkopar (after Chembur exit) has gone dark. The freeway has heavy vehicular flow with cars running at high speeds. It is very unsafe,” said another commuter.

The flyover was built by the MMRDA and fully handed over to the BMC for operations and maintenance in 2015. When the FPJ contacted BMC’s Chief Engineer (Bridges), Uttam Shrote said that he reminds his staff regularly to follow up. “I am aware the lights at certain sections of the freeway are not working. The tender and quotations to install or repair lights is in process by the Mechanical & Electrical department.”

However, Chief Engineer (Mechanical & Electrical) Krishna Perekar said that his department has neither floated any tender nor is in the process of installing new lights or repairing he existing ones.

“It is not possible that stretches of freeway are without road lights. However, the lights are always purchased in bulk and not for a particular section in the city. The ward offices in the concerned stretch need to look at the issue. The BEST and Adani Electricity supply power to the road,” he said.

When contacted to the spokesperson of Adani Electricity, he said that there is no interruption of power supply in the area, including the freeway from their side.

Notably, this is not the first time that stretches of the Eastern Freeway have gone dark. In July 2023, the media had highlighted the issue of non-functional street lights on the eastern freeway and how it is fast emerging as the most dangerous road in Mumbai, especially at night, primarily because of gross laxity on the part of the civic body.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar Meets Muslim Leaders & Senior Police Officials Over Mosque Loudspeaker Controversy In Mumbai

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Wednesday chaired a crucial meeting at the Sahyadri Guest House to address growing concerns over the removal of loudspeakers from mosques in Mumbai. The meeting was attended by State Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and several prominent Muslim leaders and MLAs, including Nawab Malik, Zeeshan Siddique, Abu Azmi, Waris Pathan, Sana Malik, Jallal Uddin and Siddharth Kamble.

The delegation expressed alarm over what they claim is police overreach in removing mosque loudspeakers, allegedly under pressure from a campaign launched by a former BJP MP. The leaders argued that the issue of Azaan is not new and has existed peacefully for generations. “Someone, some Somaiya, has created pressure in Mumbai. Because of one person, Muslims are being harassed,” said Samajwadi Party’s state president Abu Azmi after the meeting. “All sides were heard, and both the Commissioner and the DGP were present,” he said.

AIMIM leader Waris Pathan also echoed the sentiment, stating that the delegation included Muslim legislators, social workers, and community representatives. “We raised the issue of police forcibly removing loudspeakers from mosques and issuing notices without due process. This is creating unnecessary tension in the city,” Pathan said.

Muslim organisations from South Mumbai had earlier met with Pawar and submitted their concerns. They alleged that police were harassing mosque committees despite their compliance with High Court-decided permissible noise levels between 45 and 56 decibels. “There is no court order to remove loudspeakers outright,” the organisations pointed out. Action should be taken only if a violation is proven, such as issuing a notice or cancelling a licence. But instead, police are dismantling systems without proper verification, demanded the organisations.

The controversy is said to have intensified following visits by a BJP leader to areas like Govandi, where he reportedly pressured local police to act against mosques using loudspeakers. Muslim leaders have demanded a fair and transparent resolution to prevent communal disharmony and urged the government to issue clear directives to law enforcement based on legal parameters, not political pressure.

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Case filed against 4 people including Congress leader Vartak for cheating by posing as CBI officer

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Mumbai: The Kasturba Marg police on Friday registered an FIR against four people, including Maharashtra Congress’s environment cell state president Sameer Vartak, who are accused of allegedly forcibly entering the Borivali residence of builder Anil Gupta on September 2, 2024 by posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and advising a ‘raid’.

The CBI has registered a case against four people, including a Congress worker, for conducting raids at the builder’s house. After the case was registered, the Congress has sacked Sameer Vartak from his post. Congress leader Harshvardhan Sapkal has resigned. The CBI has registered a case against four people, including a Congress worker, for conducting raids at the builder’s house. Vartak, who heads the environment cell of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, is accused of raiding the builder’s house along with three unidentified people posing as CBI officers after receiving a complaint and trying to extort money from him.

Gupta, 51, who owns a Vasai-based construction firm and is active in the Vasai-Virar area, lives in Kushal Heritage Building in Borivali East. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had searched his premises in connection with a land grabbing case related to the construction of 41 unauthorised buildings in Aggarwal Nagar, Vasai East. In his police complaint, Gupta said that on September 2, 2024, two men went to his house and claimed to be CBI officers, saying they were investigating a complaint filed against him by Vartak. They asked him to come down for questioning. When Gupta refused and asked for a copy of the complaint, the men called Vartak, who was allegedly waiting outside the building. Soon after, Vartak and another man who claimed to be a CBI officer arrived there. Gupta alleged that the group of four men threatened to arrest him and demanded a financial “settlement” to settle the case.

Gupta refused, saying he would cooperate with any legal investigation. The men then left, warning him that he would be summoned to the CBI office. Gupta approached the CBI headquarters in Delhi to confirm the claim and was told that no such complaint had been filed by Vartak. On November 19, the CBI wrote a letter to the Maharashtra Director General of Police, requesting him to take action against those involved. Gupta then approached the Kasturba Marg police with a formal complaint and CCTV footage from his residence to identify the accused. The police have registered a case under sections 3(5) (common intention), 204 (cheating by impersonating a public servant), 205 (forgery of official symbols) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Naya Sangh (BNS).

Senior police inspector Jiraj Ranavare said, “We conducted a preliminary inquiry and confirmed that these people were not CBI officials. We are confirming the identity of the three people who were with Vartak.” Vartak has denied the allegations. I was called to the spot by some people who introduced themselves as CBI officers. I had filed a complaint against Gupta and was just cooperating. It seems this is part of political vendetta, I am ready to face any investigation.

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