DDCA to limit free passes to 10,000: HC

Bringing cheer to the “common” cricket buffs, the Delhi high court has restrained the DDCA from earmarking more than 10,000 tickets as complimentary passes for each of the four world cup matches to be held at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

Bringing cheer to the “common” cricket buffs, the Delhi high court has restrained the DDCA from earmarking more than 10,000 tickets as complimentary passes for each of the four world cup matches to be held at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

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Wednesday’s order means that nearly 35,000 tickets will be available for the common man in the 45,000-seat stadium.

The first match in the stadium, West Indies vs South Africa, will be held on Thursday.

The court was hearing a plea by DDCA member Jai Kiran Singh that accused DDCA executive committee of “illegally” issuing “unlimited passes to influential persons”. Singh’s lawyers Harish Malhotra and Tanuj Khurana also alleged that the association did not put out more than 5,000 tickets for sale. Significantly, Justice Sunil Gaur, “as an interim measure”, also directed the DDCA to immediately put out the remaining 35,000 tickets online for sale.

This order by the court has come as a setback for the DDCA. Senior counsel Rajiv Nayar, on the organisation’s behalf, told the court that it should be allowed to issue at least 20,000 passes as it “was under some pressure”.

Usually, free passes are given to officials and families of 4,200 members and special invitees, present and former Ranji players, former and present first-class umpires, BCCI members and affiliated clubs. They are also distributed among the officials of Central and Delhi governments, MCD, DDA, traffic police and fire department.

The petitioner referred to the recent judgment of the Kerala high court, upheld by the Supreme Court, that said free pass distribution has to be transparent and their number should be specified. Singh also contended that the organisation’s executive committee members had no authority to distribute passes “at their whims and fancy for getting personal benefits not connected with the promotion of the game of cricket and it was specifically barred by DDCA’s article of memorandum”.

Holding that giving away free passes was a “convention since 30 years”, Nayar argued that one member could not hold the DDCA to ransom by standing against the majority decision of the executive committee.