Permission granted for Sunburn Festival in Mumbai despite non-recovery of stamp duty from the Pune Sunburn Festival

No recovery by the administration even after 7 years, despite the Court’s order

The Revenue Department is inactive, even though the penalty amount has exceeded Rs 1 crore

Mumbai – The Maharashtra Revenue Department has failed to recover the stamp duty from the organisers of the 2016 Sunburn Festival held in Pune, even after 7 years. The organisers had filed two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) in the Bombay High Court in 2018 and 2019, requesting exemption from this stamp duty. The Court dismissed both petitions. Following this, the Revenue Department was expected to recover the dues. Because the organisers failed to pay the stamp duty of Rs 42,92,085, they were charged an additional penalty of Rs 69,53,121. Yet, without recovering the combined amount of Rs 1,12,45,206 (stamp duty + penalty), permission has been granted again for the Sunburn Festival in Mumbai. This serious matter came to light through information obtained by Sanatan Prabhat’s correspondent Mr Pritam Nachankar, who had written to the State’s Revenue Department regarding the recovery.

In addition, the same festival was charged Rs 60,55,383 for minor mineral extraction by the Tehsildar office. In 2017, the then Revenue Minister assured the State Assembly that this amount would be recovered. However, in 2019, the organisers approached the Divisional Commissioner for an exemption, and within just 3 days, the amount was waived. The administration did not appeal this decision in the Sessions Court.

Pune Tehsildar had charged Rs 42,92,085 as stamp duty for organising the 2016 Sunburn Festival. The organisers challenged this in court, seeking an exemption. In both 2018 and 2019, the Bombay High Court ordered that the stamp duty must be recovered from the organisers. Despite this, no recovery has been made even after 7 years. With a 2% per month penalty, the amount has now increased to Rs 69,53,121. Even with the penalty amount becoming extraordinarily high, the Revenue Department has taken no concrete steps to recover it.

The Maharashtra Government is also being duped, like the Goa Government

In 2009, 2014, and 2020, Sunburn organisers evaded Rs 6.29 crore in taxes owed to the Goa Government. In September 2025, the Bombay High Court ordered the seizure of Sunburn’s Rs 1.1 crore security deposit for these dues. Despite such precedents and despite tax arrears in Maharashtra as well, the State Government has granted permission for Sunburn Festival 2025 in Mumbai (December 19–21). (The general public believes that the departments granting permission, and State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, must reconsider their decisions. – Editor)

“We will enforce recovery”: Stamp Duty Office

People deserve to know why the dues weren’t recovered earlier!

Sanatan Prabhat’s correspondent, Mr Pritam Nachankar, had written to the Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps at the State Government office in Pune regarding the recovery of the stamp duty. In response, the office stated that “under Section 46 of the Maharashtra Stamp Act, proceedings for the forced recovery of stamp duty from the organisers of the Sunburn Festival is being initiated.” However, in reality, even after 7 years since the Court’s ruling, no such recovery has taken place. (If the recovery has not been carried out for so many years, what guarantee is there that it will be done now? – Editor)

Controversial history of the Sunburn Festival

1. In 2009, Neha Bahuguna (age 23) died during the Sunburn Festival. In 2014, Isha Mantri (age 27) also died at the festival.

2. In 2019, it was alleged that excessive drug consumption led to the deaths of Sai Prasad and Venkat Satyanarayan in the outer area of the Sunburn Festival, as well as the death of Sandeep Kotta from Bengaluru (Karnataka).

3. In 2024, it was alleged that Karan Kashyap (age 26) died due to excessive consumption of narcotic substances.

4. In 2013, the Anti-Narcotics Squad arrested drug dealer Saurabh Agarwal inside the Sunburn Festival. At that time, the Police fined more than 1,000 people who were found consuming drugs.

5. In 2013, two days before the Sunburn Festival, 450 bottles of ketamine—known as a “rape drug”—were seized in Goa. It was alleged that these substances were meant to be distributed at the event.

Editorial Perspectives

• On one hand, the Sunburn Festival is accused of promoting substance abuse among the youth, pushing them towards narcotics, immoral behaviour, obscenity, and noise pollution; and on the other hand, its organisers are reportedly causing loss of government revenue. In such circumstances, how exactly is this Sunburn Festival beneficial to the State? The administration must answer this.
• While the Prime Minister repeatedly urges people to reject the Macaulay-era Western mindset and encourages the promotion of Indian culture and swadeshi values, why is the administration repeatedly granting permissions for such Western-influenced and morally questionable events?
• Looking at all these incidents, if someone suspects that administrative officials and the organisers of Sunburn have certain connections, would that suspicion be unjustified? Accountability must also be fixed on the responsible officials.