Last Updated: January 04, 2023, 19:53 IST
The Supreme Court asks multiplex owners to set out their terms for food and beverages inside theatres
Cinema halls and multiplexes have the right to set terms and conditions and decide whether to allow food and beverages from outside, the Supreme Court ruled.
The Supreme Court Of India has stated that cinema hall owners can set their own terms and conditions for the sale of food inside theatre premises. A bunch of theatre and multiplex owners have filed a case where they challenged a 2018 verdict of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, which ruled that multiplexes and theatres cannot prevent the audience from carrying their own food and beverages inside the movie halls.
According to ANI, A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha stated, “Suppose someone starts getting jalebis. The owner would not want anyone wiping their hands on the seats.” It added that owners “may not want tandoori chicken to be bought in” and said that no cinemagoer was being forced to buy popcorn (and other food items being sold inside the cinema halls).
“The cinema hall is not a gym that you need healthy food. It is a place of entertainment. A cinema hall is a private property. It is for the owner to decide subject to statutory rules. Saying that arms are not allowed or that no discrimination on basis of caste or gender can be there, is fine. But how can the High Court say that they can bring any food inside cinema halls?” the court also added.
CJI Chandrachud said, “A cinema hall owner has the right to regulate the entry of food and beverage. Whether to consume what is available is entirely upon the choice of the moviegoer. Viewers visit halls for entertainment.”
The apex court said it is a matter of a commercial decision of the theatre owner. “The cinema hall is not a gym that you need healthy food. It is a place of entertainment. It is privately owned, so it is the owner’s prerogative.”
According to a report in bar and bench, “The High Court exceeded jurisdiction in passing such an order. It has been submitted movie hall owners that drinking water will be supplied free of charge and when an infant accompanies a parent, as a matter of practice hall owners do not object to reasonable amount of food for infant.”
The case dates back to July 18, 2018 when the Jammu and Kashmir High Court set aside a ban on food and drinks from outside in movie theatres. Because of the ban, people are forced to consume whatever is sold at the theatre, the High Court had said.
