Bengaluru, March 10 The Karnataka High Court on Monday held that it can't direct how theatres should run while hearing an appeal against the order of a lower court on showing long advertisements before screening movies.
A bench, headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna made the observation, while hearing the appeal filed by the Multiplexes Association of India.
The court had issued notice to the state and complainant Abhisheik M.R. as it stayed the Bengaluru District Consumer Commission's order holding that PVR Cinemas was liable to pay compensation to a petitioner who objected to long advertisements at the time of screening movies.
The court issued interim stay orders till the next hearing on March 27.
Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, representing the petitioner, maintained that it is a nationwide issue. Questioning the earlier order, he stated that the Bengaluru District Consumer Commission has no jurisdiction over the matter. "The mischief mongers have already started creating problems against us," he argued.
The complainant had bought three tickets for Hindi movie "Sam Bahadur" by paying Rs 825.66. He had sat for 25 minutes more for the duration of 2.25 hours of the movie, and maintained that he faced losses which can't be measured by money.
He dubbed the act of running advertisements and beginng the movie at delayed time amounted to a deficiency in terms of service by PVR Cinemas.
The Consumer Commission Forum had stated the government orders, according to which the theatres could play 10 minutes of public service announcements and welfare schemes of state and Central governments, have been violated.
The forum also stated that the movie should have begun at the stipulated timings and advertisements should have begun earlier to showcase the movie at the stipulated time mentioned in the ticket.
The PVR Cinemas and PVR Inox Ltd were asked to pay Rs 20,000 to the petitioner for mental agony. It had also directed to pay Rs 8,000 as expenses of litigation. The PVR Cinemas was also asked to pay punitive damages of Rs 1 lakh to be paid to the Consumer Welfare Fund.
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