Is IPL a commercial activity, Bombay HC asks MCA

The Bombay High Court is not at all pleased with the administrators of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). As many would remember, the IPL 2016 was under the scanner for an unusual reason. The state of Maharashtra was facing sever drought conditions during the tournament. Hence, a few people had questioned the amount of water, already a scarce resource, being invested in the maintenance of the grounds of the IPL venues.

Needless to say, many PIL were filed regarding the same and the court had then instructed the state association to shift the matches outside Maharashtra post April 30. Now, a special hearing about the same underwent at the Bombay High Court on June 30.

The bench of justices included AS Oka and Vibha Kankanwadi. They were hearing the petition filed by the civil society ‘Loksatta Movement’ that had raised concerns over the water being used for ground management in IPL. The court, as per the reports in OneIndia, asked the MCA if it had taken the water from the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the ground maintenance.

Priority levels

This was asked as the water supplied by the BMC is categorized by four priority levels. The supply of water for drinking purpose is the top priority. The third category sees the supply of water for industrial and commercial purposes. The least priority is given to royal bath or the Shahi Snan. Citing a reference to the same, the court asked MCA if IPL was a commercial event.

“We would also like to know from the MCA if the IPL is considered as a sports activity or a commercial activity,” Justice Oka mentioned.

“Category C in the policy says water supply for industrial and commercial purposes. So does IPL fall under this category? Is it a commercial activity?,” Oka asked further. The next hearing of the court will be on August 14.