Supreme Court ruled that Cinema theatre owners can restrict outside food

HYDERABAD: The Supreme Court has ruled yesterday that cinema hall owners have the right to determine what the viewers can carry inside the property, but hygienic water must be supplied. And also reiterated that when an infant accompanies a parent, cinema owners shall not object to reasonable food carried for the infant.

A Bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha stated that the cinema hall is private property, and the owner is entitled to have terms & conditions as long as they are not interfering with the public interest, safety and welfare.

"Viewers visit a cinema hall for the purpose of entertainment. We are clearly of the view that the High Court transgressed the limits in the exercise of its jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution by ordering and directing the state to ensure that there should be no prohibition on a moviegoer bringing eatables and beverages from outside within the precinct of a cinema hall," the Bench said.

The bench set aside a direction by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court which directed that multiplex and cinema hall owners there not prohibit moviegoers from carrying their own food articles and water inside the theatres in July 2018.