The court said the movie theatre was careless about maintaining hygienic standards to provide viewers with...
Digital Desk: A movie theatre in Guwahati was ordered to pay Rs 60,000 to a 50-year-old lady who was bitten by a rat while watching a movie by a consumer court.
The Galleria Cinema in Bhangagarh, Guwahati was ordered to pay the woman Rs 40,000 as compensation for mental trauma, Rs 20,000 for pain and suffering, Rs 2,282 in medical bill reimbursement, and an additional Rs 5,000 to cover the cost of the proceedings by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Kamrup.
On October 20, 2018, the woman accompanied her family to the theatre for the 9 p.m. showing of a film.
She felt something bite her on the foot during the break, and when she started bleeding, she ran out, according to her lawyer Anita Verma, who spoke to PTI on Friday.
She claimed that neither first aid nor any staff members from the movie theatre followed her to the hospital.
"Because the physicians weren't exactly sure what bit her at first, she was kept under observation at the hospital for two hours. Later, she received treatment for a rat bite," Verma continued.
She filed a lawsuit and asked the court to award her Rs. 6 lakhs as compensation for her mental anguish, pain, and suffering in addition to the money spent on her medical care and other costs.
In response to the accusations, Galleria Cinema insisted that its premises are kept clean and that they had provided the woman first aid, which she had declined.
Galleria Cinema requested a Rs 15,000 compensation fee and urged the court to dismiss the complaint.
The court ordered the payment of the compensation on April 25 after hearing the arguments, taking into account the papers provided by the woman, and concluding that there was no proof to back up the assertions made by the movie theatre.
According to the court, the movie theatre was careless about maintaining hygienic standards to provide viewers with good service as required by the Cinematography Act and other obligations.
It said that if the amount is not paid within 45 days, interest at the rate of 12% per year will be charged starting from the date of the verdict.
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