The Delhi High Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) filed against ticket scalping, the practice of reselling event tickets at inflated prices.
A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedeal issued notice in the matter and sought responses from the Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), Finance, Information and Broadcasting, and other respondents.
The plea, which termed the practice of ticket scalping “illegal, manipulative and exploitative”, sought directions for the formation of a committee to look into the scalping “which took place on unprecedented levels” in the recent concert of actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh scheduled to take place on October 26 in the national capital.
Further, it sought framing of clear guidelines to prevent the illegal activity of black marketing of tickets, or in the alternative to establish a legal framework to govern the practice of "ticket scalping". It said that "this practice undermines the principles of fair market and, in many cases, involves the use of bots or unethical tactics to hoard tickets before legitimate buyers have a chance".
The malpractice of ticket scalping distorts the fairness of the ticket-buying process and undermines the fan experience by creating an environment where only those willing to pay exorbitant amounts can attend events, the PIL added.
It said that scalping has a detrimental effect on government revenue as transactions occur through informal or unregulated channels, with much of the revenue escaping the official tax system.
The petition, filed through advocate Jatin Yadav, emphasised on the requirement of a robust legal framework, legal enforcement, and technological measures to curb the negative effects of ticket scalping to promote fair ticketing practices to ensure a more equitable and transparent system for the protection of consumers.