Commissioner of Police Shankar Bidari plans to request government to formulate a law to curb the black marketeering of tickets before the start of the IPL matches next month.
Commissioner of Police Shankar Bidari plans to request government to formulate a law to curb the black marketeering of tickets before the start of the IPL matches next month.
The rampant sale of tickets in black at the India-Ireland match was a shock, given all the chaos that had already been witnessed in the assembly following the India-England match last Sunday. To add fuel to fire, top police officials are saying that there is no law to curb the menace. With that being the case, cops and black marketers were seen having a gala time once again yesterday, and Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari said that he was incapable of arresting anyone since nowhere in the law book did it say that selling match tickets in black was illegal.u00a0
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Nothing in black and white: A person seen selling tickets in black
outside Chinnaswamy stadium yesterday. According to top cop, unlike
in the case of movie tickets, there's no such law to curb black marketing
of match tickets. Pic/Ramesh HS
"There is no law in the law books to curb this menace as such, unlike in the case of movie tickets. The law says that movie tickets are not transferable and it's wrong to sell them for money more than their denomination. Nothing is said about match tickets. Hence no arrests have been made in this regard," said Bidari.
"The IPL is around the corner and I will request the government to formulate a law to curb the black marketeering menace before the start of the matches next month," he added. Last week's chaotic scenes in the assembly and embarrassing pictures of policemen selling tickets along with office bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), clubbed with allegations of Kumble and Srinath allowing illegal ticket sales, seems to have changed nothing.
However, Alok Kumar, ACP, said no police personnel were observed selling black tickets. "I have not come across such instances and I don't think our people are involved," he added.
In the black
Tickets valued at Rs 200 at the counters sold for as much as Rs 2,000, while those for Rs 1,500 sold at Rs 5,000. "We didn't expect tickets to be in such demand, but were quite lucky to seize the opportunity and make some money," said a black marketeer.
"We actually underestimated Ireland, but this match is sure to be more entertaining by far, after India tied with England last Sunday," said a cricket fan, who had just bought tickets in black.
Politicospeak a
"It is really shocking and shows that no one cares about what we say and the law itself is blatantly carrying out these activities. How one can expect the government to control these kinds of illegalities if it continues even after being discussed in the assembly," said Congress MLA, Ne La Narendra Babu, who had raised the issue in the assembly.
Office bearers of the KSCA once again washed their hands of the allegations saying it was up to the police to look into the issue. "As I had said last week, we had warned the police and we are not responsible for what is going on outside the stadium. If anyone is selling tickets illegally, please ask the police," said Javagal Srinath, former cricketer and secretary of the KSCA.
Trouble brewing for Kumble
After senior congress leaders and the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa came to the rescue of Kumble and Srinath when legislators urged for a house committee probe into the duo's alleged involvement in black marketeering of tickets, the petitions committee of the assembly may summon them for an enquiry.
Congress MLA, P M Ashok, and member of the petitions committee, said "I have received several complaints against Kumble and Srinath for cheating and allowing sale of match tickets in black. I will raise the issue at the meeting of the committee and will request that they be summoned for questioning."
Yogesh Bhat, deputy speaker of the assembly and chairman of the petitions committee, said the committee would take up the issue once the ongoing assembly session is over.
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