NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at curbing the rampant black-marketing of event tickets, the Delhi High Court on Thursday sought a detailed response from the Centre on a petition demanding a regulatory framework for the resale of concert tickets. The plea seeks to prevent unauthorised selling activities and to ensure that tickets for sought-after events are sold through authorised platforms.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notices to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as well as major private entities including StubHub Inc., Viagogo Entertainment Inc., and Bigtree Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the parent company of BookMyShow (BMS).
The court has asked the parties to submit their responses within four weeks and scheduled the next hearing for February 18, 2025, aligning with a similar petition.
The petition, filed by Samridhi and four others, highlighted the upcoming Coldplay concert in India, raising concerns over the illegal resale of tickets. Represented by senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao and advocate Malak Bhatt, the petition calls for action against platforms selling tickets unlawfully at inflated prices.
The plea stated that online platforms like BookMyShow should play a key role in curbing unauthorised sales by implementing stronger safeguards.
“The announcement of popular events, be it cricket matches or concerts by renowned artists like Coldplay and Diljit Dosanjh, is followed by a surge in black-market activities, with tickets being resold at exorbitant prices,” the plea stated. It pointed out that despite Coldplay partnering with BMS for ticket sales, other platforms, too, had started offering tickets illegally.
The petition urged the Centre to block such unlawful platforms and prevent ticket “bots” from purchasing large volumes of tickets, which are then resold at inflated prices, exploiting fans and the general public.