Karnataka High Court Quashes FIR Against 22-Year-Old Accused Of Reselling IPL Match Tickets At Higher Price

A vacation judge, Justice Suraj Govindaraj allowed the petition filed by Somarapu Vamashi who was charged for offence under Section 318 (4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The petitioner was booked by the Bellandur police station on the charge that he had brought certain tickets for the IPL match to be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It was alleged that ten tickets priced at Rs 1,200 each were sold by him at Rs 6,000 each to certain persons.

The petitioner seeking to quash the FIR argued that petitioner had booked the tickets but due to certain unavoidable circumstances could not attend the match and in that background the petitioner sold the tickets, there being no restriction for such sale or resale, since the tickets are transferable.

Reliance was placed on a judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the case of Mandeep Singh versus State of U.T Chandigarh and another, 2015 SCConline P&H 1773 and it was said that there being no restriction in re-seeling match tickets, there cannot be any offence said to be made out under Section 318 (4) of BNS.

The bench relying on the said judgment said “This aspect has been considered by the Punjab & Haryana High court, in Mandeep's case and the High Court has come to a conclusion that the proceedings cannot be allowed to go on as it would be an abuse of process of law. The very same reasoning of the Punjab and Haryana High court would be equally applicable to the present case. Since there is no restriction on the sale of IPL tickets.”

Accordingly it allowed the petition and said “Criminal petition is allowed, the FIR is quashed.”

Appearance: Advocate Kulkarni Ramesh Pampaji for Petitioner.

Citation No: 2025 LiveLaw (Kar) 187

Case Title: Somarapu Vamashi AND State of Karnataka

Case No: Criminal Petition No 7476/2025

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