Hyderabad: The Multiplex Association of India has appealed to the Telangana high court to lift its earlier orders prohibiting children under the age of 16 from attending special movie screenings before 11 am and after 11 pm.
In its petition, the association argued that the petitions challenging ticket prices should not be treated as public interest litigations (PILs). Senior advocate S Niranjan Reddy, representing the association, stated that these orders have caused significant financial losses for multiplexes.
During the hearing, Justice B Vijaysen Reddy said that in Europe, children are not permitted to attend movies after 11 pm. He adjourned the case to Feb 24, directing that a counter be filed in response to the petition.
Earlier, a vegetable trader from Hyderabad had filed a petition on Jan 10, challenging the permission for shows scheduled between 4 am and 6 am. During the proceedings, the judge remarked that late-night screenings without time restrictions could harm children’s health and imposed measures to prevent children from attending theatres after 11 pm.