GST surveys at Ahmedabad’s top garba venues over allegations of blackmarketing of tickets

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) department on Monday and Tuesday carried out a series of coordinated surveys across Ahmedabad, targeting some of the city’s biggest Navratri garba organisers, following allegations of large-scale irregularities in ticket sales and suspected tax evasion.

According to sources, simultaneous surveys were conducted at eight locations, including the popular venues Rang Morla, Suvarna Nagri and Swarnim Nagri. Programmes featuring star performers such as Aditya Gadhvi, Jigrdan Gadhvi and Purva Mantri were among those under scrutiny.

Allegations of black marketing

Investigators moved in after complaints emerged that passes, meant to be sold at fixed prices, were allegedly being distributed at inflated rates in the black market. “Several passes were being sold at double or even triple their declared price,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the department is probing whether revenue declarations were manipulated to underreport collections.

Organisers under the lens

Ahmedabad’s garba season, particularly during Navratri, is a multi-crore industry that draws massive crowds every year. The high demand for passes, coupled with limited capacity at venues, often fuels black marketing, with tickets being sold through informal networks at steep mark-ups.

“On paper, organisers declare a certain number of passes at a fixed rate. But ground realities suggest inflated pricing and bulk distribution through middlemen,” said a source familiar with the investigation.

The GST department is now scrutinising the financial records of the organisers, including sales ledgers, online transactions, and spot collections, to assess whether there has been deliberate underreporting of taxable income.

Past scrutiny of the Navratri economy

This is not the first time Ahmedabad’s garba business has come under the tax scanner. In previous years, too, both income-tax and GST officials have flagged discrepancies in reporting, citing the enormous scale of earnings generated by high-profile garba events. With sponsorships, advertising, and celebrity performances adding to the mix, investigators argue that the industry often slips into the shadow economy.

While the GST department has yet to issue a formal statement, insiders suggest the surveys are likely to be followed by notices and further inquiry against organisers if evidence of tax evasion is established.