The Karnataka High Court has temporarily stayed a consumer forum’s ruling against PVR Cinemas for delaying movie screenings due to lengthy advertisements, pending the next hearing on March 27.
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has granted an interim stay until March 27 on a consumer forum order that held PVR Cinemas liable for delaying movie screenings with extended advertisements.
A District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Bengaluru had recently directed PVR Cinemas and INOX (now merged with PVR) to mention the actual start time of movie shows on tickets instead of listing the time when advertisements begin.
A Bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna observed that the consumer forum had acted beyond its jurisdiction.
“In a complaint filed…reason given in those 25 minutes advertisement were shown…The consumer forum accepts the plea of petitioner and traverses the complaint and answers the complaint as if it has jurisdiction akin to a public interest petition. It indulges in a discourse about how a movie show should be run and directs that the theatres should not project advertisements, as it would become unfair trade practice. All these directions of the consumer forum are on the face of it without jurisdiction…”
the court noted.
The High Court further stated, “there shall be an interim order to stay as prayed for till the next date of hearing.”
The case was filed by Abhishek MR, who complained that 25 minutes of advertisements delayed the screening of “Sam Bahadur” in 2023 at a PVR theatre. He argued that the delay affected his work schedule.
The consumer forum ruled against PVR and INOX, stating that moviegoers’ time should not be wasted. “Time is considered as money… no one has the right to gain benefit out of others’ time and money,” it observed.
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Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing PVR, defended the theatre chain, arguing:
“Everyone knows that the movie starts 15-20 minutes late…people are running out of time, why are you wasting time… Mischief mongers have already started creating problems against us, they went to Madhya Pradesh High Court too and same was rejected.”
The next hearing is scheduled for March 27.
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