Coldplay concert: PIL challenges entertainment duty waiver

Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin. (File photo)

A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Bombay High Court Wednesday challenging the Maharashtra government’s decision to waive entertainment duty for the performance of British band Coldplay scheduled to be held this weekend in suburban Bandra.

The petition has been filed by two social activists Anjali Damania and Hemant Laxman Gavande and is expected to come up for hearing before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur Thursday. The PIL claims the band does not fall in the category of classical, light and instrumental music and is therefore not eligible for exemption as per law. The concert is scheduled to be held on November 19 at the MMRDA grounds in the Bandra Kurla Complex.

“The petitioners are not against the performance,” states the petition.