Three public interest litigation petitions have been filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court challenging the government order that permits 100% occupancy in cinema theatres in the State.
After this was mentioned before a Division Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and S. Ananthi, the judges agreed to take up the PIL petitions for hearing on Friday. The petitioners complained that the G.O. was passed keeping only the theatre owners in mind and ignoring the lives of the general public.
Pointing to the recent instances where employees of five star hotels and students of the IIT-Madras had tested positive for COVID-19, the petitioners said if the standard operating procedures were ignored, theatres too would turn into clusters.
The petitioners said it looked like the order was passed without consulting the Health Department, medical experts, District Collectors and other departments that too at a time when a new COVID-19 variant had emerged.
They sought a stay on the government order in the interest of the public and pointed out that the Centre too had expressed its displeasure over the permission for 100% occupancy in the theatres granted by the State.
