The Bombay High Court has refused to stay the Coldplay concert, which was to be held this weekend in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The concert will be taking place on the same day as scheduled, i.e., on the 19th of November at the Bandra-Kurla Complex grounds.
The HC also instructed Global Citizens India Festival organisers to give an undertaking to the Maharashtra government stating that they will abide by the Bombay Entertainment Duty Act and pay entertainment tax.
Coldplay (Courtesy: Facebook/Coldplay)
Previously, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the court by an activist Anjali Damania and Hemant Gavande, who is a businessman. The PIL sought the dismissal of a tax exemption that the state government had earlier granted to Coldplay’s performance.
The PIL was presented to the court by Uday Warunjikar who plead for an urgent hearing with the bench. Both Justice Manjula Chellur and justice MS Sonak called for a hearing on Thursday.
Chris Martin, Coldplay’s lead singer had arrived in India for the concert on Wednesday. He had arrived three days ahead to see to it that all preparations are in place. “Chris is the curator of the festival. He is here to check on stuff, be a part of as much as he can be, and push the envelope and engage with as many people as possible to be able to make an impact,” Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft International Entertainment which is producing GCFI, told IANS.
The Global Citizens India Festival will also feature other international musicians like The Vamps, Jay Z and Demi Lovato. The Vamps too have arrived in India ahead of the show. Many Indian celebrities have been noted to appear at the festival like Amitabh Bachchan, A.R. Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif, Sonakshi Sinha, Parineeti Chopra, Freida Pinto, Alia Bhatt, Monali Thakur and Arijit Singh.
(With IANS inputs)
