Mumbai: The organizers of the upcoming Sunburn Festival in Mumbai have been issued a formal legal notice compelling them to demonstrate statutory compliance regarding public safety, child protection, and drug prevention measures. The notice was served ahead of the electronic dance music (EDM) festival's debut in Mumbai’s Sewri, and outlines a series of serious concerns based on the organisation's past operational record.
Adv. Poonam Dilip Jadhav issued the notice to Space Bound Web Labs Pvt. Ltd., the organisers of the Sunburn Festival, citing a history of alleged failures and posing "foreseeable and imminent threats" across several critical areas. The notice focuses heavily on alleged violations of the Right to Life, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
The 13-point legal notice, which gave the organisers 72 hours to submit a complete action taken report, highlighted various serious concerns. It raised concerns related to permitting minors aged 16 to 17 years to attend an EDM festival with a documented history of narcotics infiltration, medical collapses, and fatalities. The notice cited multiple past deaths associated with the festival, including those of Neha Bahuguna in 2009, three deaths during the 2019 Goa event, and of Karan Kashyap in 2024. It argued that these incidents establish a "continuing pattern of failure to assess foreseeable risk."
The legal action asserted that the festival’s history of drug-related incidents, including arrests and seizures, constitutes chronic lapses in security and could expose the organisers to strict criminal liability under the NDPS Act. The notice also criticised the festival’s proposed venue at Sewri for its narrow access roads, limited emergency vehicle mobility, and proximity to the ecologically sensitive Sewri mudflats, which is home to migratory flamingos. The notice demanded independent structural safety audits and an environmental impact assessment.
The notice alleged that the organisers are actively selling tickets without mandatory police permission from the local Sewri Police Station, a conduct labelled as "deliberate suppression of material facts" and a potential breach of consumer protection law.
Adv. Jadhav warned that failure to provide a complete, certified, and document-supported action taken report within the 72-hour window will lead to the immediate initiation of proceedings before the Bombay High Court to seek an immediate stay on the event.
Notably, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also took cognisance of a separate complaint with similar allegations and on Friday issued a notice to the Maharashtra’s director general of police and the chief secretary, seeking an action taken report within three days regarding steps taken to prevent the use of illicit substances and ensure child safety.
The Free Press Journal contacted the organisers of Sunburn Festival but did not receive any response from them. The festival has not issued any detailed public response to the growing opposition, as the festival's highly anticipated Mumbai debut draws near.
