An appeal by Cinepolis against the month-long suspension of its multiplex operations in Ahmedabad has been dismissed by a higher authority. The Mexican cinema operator was slapped with the suspension order on February 3 for airing late night shows well beyond the permissible time limit of 1 am. K L Patel,the deputy secretary of the states Information and Broadcasting Department,upheld the suspension order of February 3,2012 after a detailed hearing on Thursday. Patel held that the month-long suspension of the cinema operators licence was just a token punishment. Patel observed if the multiplex operator was worried about reputation loss,it should not have flouted rules. Cinepolis had argued that the late night shows were run due to competition in the business. The official also brushed aside the claim by the multiplex that others in the business were also flouting the rule and running late-night shows. On December 21,2011,entertainment inspectors landed at AlphaOne mall at 15 minutes past midnight and found Cinepolis operating four shows that began after 10:30 pm. An analysis done recently by The Indian Express of the theatre timings advertised during the last one-and-a-half months (between December 16th,2011,and February 3,2012),showed there were at least 130 late night shows (including those of Cinepolis) scheduled in the city. In its appeal filed on February 4,Cinepolis had contended that the order of the district magistrate on February 3,2012 was a harsh one. The operator said they were a new player and this was their first offence,which happened for a short duration,largely due to the competition in the (multiplex) business in Ahmedabad. They also claimed the suspension order was causing a loss of Rs 25 lakh (as entertainment tax) to the Gujarat government. After the latest order,cinema shows at Cinepolis will continue to remain suspended till March 2,2012. Cinepolis,which operates six screens (a total of approximately 1200 seats) at the newly built AlphaOne mall,has been estimated to be losing over Rs 6 lakh in revenues daily since February 3,2012. The deputy secretary also observed that the violation by Cinepolis would have gone un-noticed if the residents had not lodged an official complaint. Manish Shah,a resident of Sansaria towers near the mall,had complained against Cinepolis. This order should set an an example for those who try to create trouble for people at large.
