Thane: Nearly 1,000 cops will be deployed to maintain law and order during the Coldplay concert in Navi Mumbai, police said on Friday.

As part of their ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’, the British rock group has three shows scheduled at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21.

Nearly 45,000 fans are expected to attend the event, for which elaborate security arrangements have been made, said a release by the Navi Mumbai police.

The release said 70 officers and 434 policemen will be inside the stadium as part of their bandobast. Also, 21 officers and 440 policemen will be deployed outside the stadium each day, it said.

Heavy vehicles from Uran, Nhavasheva, Pune and Thane have been banned in the area during these days. The Thane city police have also issued similar directives, restricting the movement of heavy vehicles within their jurisdiction.

There are designated parking areas during the event, the release added.

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.”

AIMIM national spokesperson and Byculla MLA Waris Pathan expressed serious concerns about security in Mumbai following the recent attack on actor Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra residence.

In a video statement, Pathan drew parallels between Bandra and Beverly Hills, saying, “Just as Beverly Hills is famous in the US, Bandra is famous in India for being home to many film stars. The regular occurrence of such incidents demonstrates a clear failure of the administration. First, shots were fired at Salman Khan’s residence, then Baba Siddique was assassinated, and now, around 2:30 AM, an attacker broke into Saif Ali Khan’s house and assaulted him.”

Pathan highlighted the timing of the incident, noting that it occurred on the same day as Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the city. “People have no fear of the police. What kind of security measures are in place?” he questioned.

The AIMIM leader announced his intentions to address the issue with authorities. “We will approach the Police Commissioner and meet with the Chief Minister to request enhanced security arrangements,” he said. “Children are afraid to go outside. Bullets are being fired in the open, and people are being attacked with knives in their homes. Where are citizens supposed to feel safe?”

Pathan also raised concerns about what he perceives as targeted attacks against the Muslim community. “Our party chief was attacked, though fortunately unharmed, then there was firing outside Salman Khan’s home. It appears that only Khans and Ahmeds are being targeted,” he stated, calling the situation “a complete failure of government and administration.”

He urged immediate action, calling for swift arrests to prevent future incidents.