The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Mumbai Cricket Association’s
plea against the Bombay high court’s order to shift Indian Premier
League (IPL) matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra.
The SC agreed with an earlier high court verdict that ordered 13 matches to be moved out of Maharashtra, which is facing the worst drought in decades, saying it was better to move out the games in “wake of the drought”.
The Mumbai High Court had on April 13,2016 ordered games of the cash-rich IPL tournament scheduled after April 30 to be moved out of the state, saying claims of financial liabilities made by the organisers could not override the “larger cause of the people” and that the court could “not turn a blind eye to the plight of the people”.
The Mumbai High Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO against holding IPL matches in Maharashtra, where nearly 70% of the state has been declared drought-hit, forcing the government to impose rationing in many parts. The PIL said that as much as 60 lakh litres of water was proposed to be used for maintaining cricket pitches in the three venues that will host the matches.
The order originally affected 13 matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, including the final scheduled for May 29 in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. The final was later shifted to Bengaluru. However, the May 1 match in Pune between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants was allowed to go ahead as scheduled after the BCCI made a plea to the high court, citing an inability to move the match at short notice.
The SC agreed with an earlier high court verdict that ordered 13 matches to be moved out of Maharashtra, which is facing the worst drought in decades, saying it was better to move out the games in “wake of the drought”.
The Mumbai High Court had on April 13,2016 ordered games of the cash-rich IPL tournament scheduled after April 30 to be moved out of the state, saying claims of financial liabilities made by the organisers could not override the “larger cause of the people” and that the court could “not turn a blind eye to the plight of the people”.
The Mumbai High Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO against holding IPL matches in Maharashtra, where nearly 70% of the state has been declared drought-hit, forcing the government to impose rationing in many parts. The PIL said that as much as 60 lakh litres of water was proposed to be used for maintaining cricket pitches in the three venues that will host the matches.
The order originally affected 13 matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, including the final scheduled for May 29 in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. The final was later shifted to Bengaluru. However, the May 1 match in Pune between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants was allowed to go ahead as scheduled after the BCCI made a plea to the high court, citing an inability to move the match at short notice.
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