The Karnataka High Court on Monday stayed a Bengaluru consumer forum’s order that directed PVR Cinemas at Orion Mall and PVR Inox Limited to pay Rs 1 lakh in punitive damages for displaying advertisements resulting in the film running beyond screening time, Bar & Bench reported.

The Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had in February ruled that delaying movie screenings with extended advertisements constituted an unjust and unfair trade practice.

The High Court stayed the order till March 27, when it will hear the matter further.

The case stems from the complaint of advocate Abhishek MR who told the consumer court that he had booked three tickets for the film Sam Bahadur on December 26, 2023, for the 4.05 pm show, paying Rs 825.66 per ticket. The film was expected to end by 6.30 pm as per the schedule, which would have allowed him to return to work afterward.

The complainant said that he and his family had entered the cinema hall at 4 pm.

However, advertisements and film trailers were shown from 4.05 pm to 4.28 pm. The film, scheduled to start at 4.05 pm, was delayed by nearly 30 minutes and began at 4.30 pm, he added.

The complainant claimed that he missed his work commitment as a result of the delay.

PVR Cinemas and PVR Inox Limited had denied the allegations and argued before the consumer forum that they were legally required to screen public service announcements in the form of short films and documentaries to raise awareness on several issues.

However, the commission noted that the compact disc provided by the complainant, which contained a recording from that day, showed that only one was a public service announcement out of the 17 advertisements played. As per government guidelines, the duration of a public service announcement should be 10 minutes before the start of a film.

The commission also observed that no one had the right to profit from others’ time and money. It said that viewers should not be forced to watch advertisements for more than 30 minutes as films were meant to provide relaxation and not frustration.

Apart from directing PVR Cinemas and PVR Inox Limited to deposit Rs 1 lakh with the Consumer Welfare Fund, the commission had also ordered them to pay Rs 20,000 to the complainant for mental distress and inconvenience, along with Rs 8,000 to cover litigation costs.

The Multiplex Association of India challenged the order in the High Court.

While accepting the petition, the High Court noted that: “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,” Justice M Nagaprasanna said on Monday. “All these directions of the consumer forum are on the face of it without jurisdiction.”