The Supreme Court observed that cinema hall owners are fully entitled to set their terms and conditions for sale of food and beverages inside the halls.

“Suppose someone starts getting jalebis. Owner would not want anyone wiping their hands on the seats,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha.

Chief Justice Chandrachud said, “A cinema hall owner has the right to regulate the entry of food and beverage. Whether to consume what is available is entirely upon the choice of the movie goer. Viewers visit the hall for entertainment.”

The court further said that the cinema hall owners may not want “tandoori chicken to be bought in the hall” but clarified that no one was forcing cinema goers to buy popcorn.

The bench said that a movie goer has a choice to not consume the food and beverages served inside the theatres.

A cinema hall is the private property of the owner and he is entitled to put such terms and conditions as he deems fit provided the same are not contrary to public interest or safety, the bench observed.

The court said that viewer has to adhere to the rules of the cinema hall and it is evidently a matter of commercial decision of the theatre owner.

“The cinema hall is not a gym where you need healthy food. It is a place of entertainment. It is privately owned, so it is the owner’s prerogative,” the court said.

The top court said this while setting aside the Jammu and Kashmir High Court order which had directed the multiplexes and movie theatres not to prevent cinema goers from carrying their own food and beverages inside the movie halls.

The top court was hearing a batch of appeals filed by theatre owners and Multiplex Association of India challenging a 2018 verdict of the High Court.

NEW DELHI, Jan 4: From showcasing Incredible India visiting delegates to positioning the country as a major travel destination during its year-long presidency, G20 will be the Union Tourism ministry’s focus area in 2023.
India assumed the presidency of the influential bloc on December 1, setting the tone for the ministry’s calendar this year. More than 200 meetings will be held across 55 locations, culminating with the annual G20 summit on September 9-10.
The Tourism ministry is geared up to put its best foot forward and showcase to the guests from different countries the cultural heritage and culinary delights of India.
The first G20 meeting — the Sherpa meet — was held in the first week of December in Rajasthan’s Udaipur.
From artistic murals to decking up of heritage sites with lights, the old city played the perfect host as iconic buildings were chosen as venues, besides sightseeing to Kumbhalgarh Fort — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Preparations for the G20 meetings are underway and the first meet under the tourism track will be held in the picturesque Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in late January or early February, Union Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh had said. ”The second meeting (in this category) will be held in Siliguri (West Bengal), the third one in Srinagar and the fourth one in Goa,” Singh had said, adding sustainability would be one of the priority areas when India hosts the G20 events.
The 55 locations for the meetings span big metros to smaller cities, including those rich in history and scenic beauty such as Hampi and Khajuraho.
These locations will also include Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities that have picturesque landscapes and are rich in cultural heritage.
”So, these cities will also get spruced up as part of the preparations for the G20 meetings,” Singh had said in November.
At a press conference in Aizawl, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy had said some of the meetings of the influential group were planned to be held across the Northeast and the Mizoram capital would host one of these.
Also, 100 viewpoints would be constructed along highways in the Northeast, starting with nine in Mizoram, he had said. Twenty-two of these viewpoints with wayside amenities are expected to be completed before next monsoon, the ministry has said. Reddy took part in the the 10th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for the Northeast that put a spotlight on the region’s tourism potential and was held in Aizawl from November 17-19 to facilitate interaction among government agencies, business fraternity, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders. Private companies in the hospitality sector are ”showing an appetite to invest in the Northeast,” Tourism Secretary Singh had said in Aizawl. The event also focused on ”priorities of G20 for tourism track”. This was Mizoram’s first time hosting the ITM. ”We have to use this occasion (G20 meetings) to showcase our cultural and traditional heritage to the foreign guests,” Reddy had later said during the event’s opening ceremony. India sharpened its focus on G20 much before the presidency was handed over by Indonesia.
During a national conference of state tourism ministers in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala from September 18-20, Singh had said India planned to position itself as a ”major tourism destination” during its G20 presidency.
Tourism-related aspects of the G20 leaders’ summit were also discussed during the conference organised by the ministry in the hill town. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI, Jan 4: India recorded 175 new Covid infections in a day while active caseload declined to 2,570, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The tally of Covid cases in India is crore while the death toll is 5,30,707, data updated at 8 am stated.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.09 per cent while the weekly positivity was 0.12 per cent.
Active caseload declined by 12 in a day and now comprises 0.01 per cent of the total infections.
The national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,45,854 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
According to the ministry’s website, 220.11 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the COVID-19 vaccination drive.
India’s Covid tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4, three crore on June 23 last year and four crore on January 25 this year. (Agencies)

New Delhi, Jan 4: A dense layer of fog has engulfed Indo-Gangetic plains and is likely to persist for the next 2-3 days and gradually reduce thereafter, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
As a result of the prevailing foggy conditions, trains have been running late owing to the dense fog and visibility level.
The fog has reduced visibility all over North India.
“Visibility (<=200m) recorded at 0530 hours IST of today, 04.01.23: Punjab: Amritsar-25, Patiala-50; northwest Rajasthan: Ganganagar & Churu-25 each; Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi: Chandigarh-25, Ambala & Palam-200 each; West Uttar Pradesh: Bareilly-25, Jhansi-50; northwest Madhya Pradesh: Gwalior-50; Chhattisgarh: Ambikapur-50; Jharkhand: Ranchi-50; East Uttar Pradesh: Bahraich-200; East Madhya Pradesh: Sagar & Jabalpur-200 each; Bihar: Bhagalpur & Purnea-200 each,” Indian Meteorological Department said.
Many trains are also running late due to the prevailing fog.
“Darbanga-New Delhi special, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam exp, Banaras-New Delhi Special, Sultanpur- Anand vihar exp, Ayodhya Cantt- Delhi Jn. Exp.,” as per the Indian Railways among others are running late.
Earlier on Jan 2, the Indian Meteorological Department said that dense to very dense fog and cold wave conditions are very likely to prevail over the plains of northwest India during the next five days.
“Dense to very dense fog and cold wave conditions very likely to continue over plains of northwest India including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during next 5 days,” India Meteorological Department said.
Earlier on Sunday, the forecast department said that minimum and maximum temperatures in January 2023 are most likely to be below normal over many parts of central India and adjoining areas of peninsular, east and northwest India.
As per IMD, above-normal to normal minimum temperatures are most likely over southern parts of the south Peninsula, many parts of northeast India and some parts of northwest India.
It also said, “Above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of northeast India and some parts of northwest, east and east central India.”
IMD also predicted monthly rainfall for January 2023 over Northwest India consisting of seven meteorological subdivisions (East Uttar Pradesh, West Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) is most likely to be below normal (78 per cent of Long Period Average (LPA)), said IMD on Sunday.
The rainfall over Northwest India consists of seven meteorological subdivisions- East Uttar Pradesh, West Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh which are most likely to be below normal (86 per cent of Long Period Average (LPA)), said IMD.
The IMD said below-normal rainfall is most likely over most parts of the country except many parts of south peninsular India and some pockets of central India where above-normal to normal rainfall is expected. (Agencies)