HC Suspends GO Allowing Parking Fee at Theatres
Counsel for the petitioner Vijay Gopal argued that collecting parking charges from cinema-goers by commercial establishments was illegal.
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has granted interim relief to moviegoers by suspending a government order that allowed standalone cinema theatres in municipal areas to collect parking charges. The court issued an interim suspension of GO 121 dated July 20, 2021, which permitted theatres to levy parking fees from visitors. The order came while hearing a writ petition filed by Ramavath Prem Kumar, who challenged the government order after being charged parking fees at Konark Theatre in Dilsukhnagar when he visited to watch a film.
Counsel for the petitioner Vijay Gopal argued that collecting parking charges from cinema-goers by commercial establishments was illegal. He contended that the government order permitting such collection violated Section 176(6) of the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019.
The provision mandates that commercial establishments must provide adequate and dedicated parking facilities as a condition for obtaining building permission and prohibits the use of designated parking areas for other purposes.
The petitioner argued that once a viewer purchases a cinema ticket in a standalone theatre, collecting a separate parking fee amounts to an unauthorised charge not contemplated under municipal law. After hearing the submissions, the High Court temporarily suspended the operation of the government order and directed the state government to inform standalone theatres not to collect parking charges from moviegoers. The matter was adjourned to April 6 for further hearing.