SC to hear plea against India GP F1 race on Friday

Two days ahead of the Formula 1 race in Greater Noida, a petition seeking to stay the mega event was filed before the Supreme Court on Tuesday which agreed to hear it on Friday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, before whom the matter was mentioned, said the plea will be heard tomorrow.

The petition has been filed by one Amit Kumar seeking the court's direction to stay the event, to be held on Saturday in Greater Noida, on the ground that the organiser has not paid the entire tax amount to the Uttar Pradesh government for the first Formula 1 race held in 2011.

The Akhilesh Yadav government had recently approached the apex court seeking its permission to withdraw the June 27, 2011 decision of the then UP government headed by Mayawati granting exemption to Jaypee Group from entertainment tax.

It sought that the company be directed to pay entire amount of entertainment tax due to it for the 2011 formula 1 race.

Kumar had earlier in 2011 also filed a petition in the apex court challenging exemption of entertainment tax given by the then BSP government in UP for the event and the apex court in its interim order on October 21, 2011, had directed the Jaypee Group to deposit 25 per cent of sale proceeds from tickets in a separate account which would not be operated without its permission.

India's first Formula 1 event was held in Greater Noida, near New Delhi, on October 30, 2011.