Now Delhi Lawyer Moves Petition Against Ban On Cinegoers From Carrying Food, Water To Multiplex Theatres [Read Petition]

After being not allowed to carry her own water bottle and eatables inside a movie theatre and forced to purchase the exorbitantly priced water and food from inside a movie theatre, a young lawyer has moved the Delhi High Court seeking direction to all multiplexes to not bar cinegoers from carrying their own food articles and water.

Ekta Singh, a lawyer practicing at the Delhi High Court, moved the petition wherein she has prayed that multiplexes be barred from placing such prohibition on cinegoers.

The high court has issued a notice to the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India, the Delhi Government, the Delhi Police and Eros Inox Cinema, Jangpura.

On July 27, the petitioner had gone to watch a movie show at Eros Inox and was asked to leave her water bottle and any other edible item outside.

Despite her request to let her take at least her water bottle inside, she was not allowed.

In her petition filed through advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, the petitioner said she was shocked to see that the water bottle and food item being sold inside the theatre were priced exorbitantly high with a water bottle priced at Rs 20 in the market being sold for Rs 50.

Singh relied on a similar petition before the Bombay High Court where the Maharashtra government had sided with allowing people to carry their own food and water inside the theatre.

It is to be noted here that though the Maharashtra government earlier supported cinegoers carrying their own food and water inside, it later took a U-turn citing security reasons.

The petitioner also relied on July 18 order of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court directing multiplexes/cinema hall owners not to prohibit cinema goers/viewers henceforth from carrying his/her own food articles and water inside the theatre.

A similar petition moved by an advocate is pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The petitioner before the Delhi High Court says multiplexes generate 25-30 percent of their revenue from the sale of food and beverages.

She said selling food at exorbitant rates is against the Constitution of India and constitutes an unfair trade practice.

Singh also stressed that such a ban adversely affects people with medical conditions as many are not able to digest junk food on sale at the theatres due to the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in it.