Ban on SRK challenged
A complaint has been filed with the office of deputy commissioner of police, which grants licence for places of public amusement under Section 33 of the Bombay Police Act, 1951, to take action against the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for banning actor Shah Rukh Khan from entering the stadium for five years.
The petition, filed on Thursday, states that a stadium is a private property and it has been shown as an “indoor cricket wing” in the BMC’s development plan.
Petitioner, former bureaucrat and advocate Abha Singh, has said that the MCA itself has violated many rules in a few other cases and that the Mumbai police should take action against it apart from cancelling the licence of Wankhede stadium.
In the complaint, she has said, “The entire ground area of Wankhede stadium has been classified as a ‘recreational ground’ in the BMC development plan where only sports-related activities can take place. In the plans submitted to the BMC, that
place was shown as an ‘indoor cricket wing’ and then it was converted into the BCCI headquarters, which is wrong.”
She also argued, “If Shah Rukh Khan had to be banned, it was necessary for the MCA to move the deputy commissioner of police for banning entry under Section 56 of the Bombay Police Act, 1951. However, instead of following the legal procedure, the MCA took law in its own hands.
According to Ms Singh, “It is needless to add that if Wankhede stadium is governed by the licence issued under the Bombay Police Act, 1951, and if they
operate a place of public amusement, unless until the procedure for banning the entry as prescribed under the law is followed, no such order can be made by a private entity (i.e. the MCA) with respect to a public place, where anyone with a valid ticket or pass has the right to enter.”
When contacted deputy commissioner of police (zone 1) Ravindra Shisve said, “I have not received any complaint yet. I will look into the matter as and when it comes up.”
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