Kerala Officials Inspect Multiplex Food Pricing After Public

Kerala government officials have inspected multiplexes across the state in response to public anger over the high cost of snacks like popcorn. The inspections, ordered by Food and Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob, involved teams from the Legal Metrology, Civil Supplies, and Food Safety departments checking malls and cinema halls. The move was prompted after Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V. V. Rajesh highlighted the issue of "exorbitant prices" charged at multiplex eateries.

The inspections, however, face a significant legal limitation. A 2023 Supreme Court order firmly established that cinema hall owners have the right to determine their own business models and set food prices. In the K.C. Cinema vs State of Jammu and Kashmir case, the court ruled multiplexes are private property, allowing owners to stipulate their own terms so long as they are not contrary to public interest, safety, and welfare.

Price Checks Reveal High Costs

During inspections, officials documented the prices of various food items at a multiplex in Kochi. The figures show a steep cost for common cinema snacks.

Legal Limits on Government Intervention

Rajesh Sam, Controller of the Legal Metrology Department (LMD), explained the narrow scope of the department's authority. "The MRP can be independently fixed by the manufacturers, and the law does not permit any governmental intervention in the process," Sam stated. He clarified that officials cannot mandate price caps.

The department's role is limited to ensuring prepackaged goods are sold at their printed Maximum Retail Price (MRP) and correct weight. For non-packaged items, like those served at multiplex counters, the LMD can only verify that they are sold at the price and weight displayed on menu cards.

Supreme Court Backs Cinema Owners' Rights

The legal backdrop for this issue stems directly from the 2023 Supreme Court ruling. A bench comprising then-Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha upheld the common multiplex rule prohibiting patrons from bringing in outside food and drink. The court found this condition was not against public interest.

The judgment drew an analogy to restaurants, stating that allowing outside food into a cinema would be "akin to permitting a customer who visits a restaurant to carry their own food." The court noted that a movie hall "doubles up as an eatery" when it sells food within its premises.

While affirming the owners' rights, the bench also directed that hygienic drinking water must be supplied free of cost inside cinema precincts. It made a further exception, ruling that a reasonable quantity of food or beverages may be carried in for an infant or young child.

The ruling has effectively shielded multiplex pricing from direct government regulation, leaving state officials with few tools to address consumer complaints beyond monitoring displayed prices and weights.