Telangana Moviegoers will soon get a welcome relief when visiting single-screen theatres. The Telangana High Court has suspended Government Order (GO) 121 of 2021, which earlier allowed single-screen theatres to charge parking fees from customers. With this decision, people who buy a movie ticket will no longer have to pay extra for parking at these theatres.
Until now, the rules were different for multiplexes and single-screen theatres. Multiplexes and other commercial establishments were required to provide free parking if a customer showed a valid bill or movie ticket. However, since 2021, single-screen theatres had been given a special exemption by the government that allowed them to collect parking charges from visitors. Because of this rule, many people had to pay additional money just to park their vehicles when going to watch a movie.
The issue came to the High Court after a writ petition was filed by a man named Prem Ramavath. The case started when a moviegoer was asked to pay Rs. 20 for parking at Konark Theatre in Dilsukhnagar. Believing that the charge was unfair, the matter was challenged in court.
High Court advocate Vijay Gopal, who is connected to the case, explained that the exemption given to single-screen theatres in 2021 did not have a proper legal reason. According to the law, if a person is a customer and has a valid bill or movie ticket, parking should be free. The Government Order issued by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department had allowed single-screen theatres to avoid this rule.
The High Court has now suspended that Government Order. This means single-screen theatres must follow the same rule as multiplexes and provide free parking to customers with movie tickets.
Importantly, this ruling is not limited to just one theatre. It applies to all single-screen theatres across Telangana. For regular moviegoers, this decision means one less expense when they go out to enjoy a film.
