Delhi hc issues notice in response to plea seeking curbs on ticket scalping

Delhi hc issues notice in response to plea seeking curbs on ticket scalping

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued a notice in response to a plea seeking the formation of a committee to look into the practise of ticket scalping or reselling at inflated prices for profit and frame guidelines to curb it. The plea cited the alleged use of the practice ahead of the Delhi leg of singer-actor Diljeet Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati Tour’ on October 26.

A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela sought responses from the Union, Delhi governments, and Zomato Live, the official ticketing partner. It scheduled the next hearing for February 18.

In his plea, Delhi resident Rohan Gupta, who was represented by advocates Jatin Yadav, Daksh Gupta and Gaurav Dua, said ticketing platforms including StubHub, Viagogo, and Ticombo were reselling tickets for Diljeet’s concert at exorbitant prices. The plea alleged the access of the public to such events was arbitrarily restricted. It claimed Zomato Live released and then labelled the tickets as ‘sold’.

The plea said an artificial scarcity triggered unprecedented demand for tickets because of the hype around the concert. It added tickets were ‘sold out’ on Zomato but were easily available on StubHub, Viagogo, and Ticombo. ‘Respondents [Zomato, StubHub, Viagogo, and Ticombo] have indulged in unfair prices with relation to hoarding of tickets to artificially drive their prices up and force the consumers to pay a higher price for the same ticket, thereby illegally profiting from the reselling,’ the plea said.

It added the practice was detrimental to the government’s revenue. ‘This untracked, untaxed income contributes to the growth of a shadow economy, depriving the state of funds that could otherwise support public services, infrastructure, or community development,’ the plea said.

Zomato issued a clarification on September 16, declaring the tickets purchased through StubHub, Viagogo, and Ticombo were invalid. It said the tickets were issued in physical form only. Zomato said tickets purchased from any other third-party directly or reselling platforms and other unofficial sources will be considered invalid, and individuals holding these tickets will be denied entry to the event.

Delhi government’s counsel, Santosh Kumar Tripathi, objected to the prayer regarding the framing of guidelines saying that the issue was covered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s Section 112, which relates to petty organised crime including unauthorised sale of tickets.