First hour free parking: Gujarat HC denies relief to appellant mall owner

Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court on Monday questioned an appellant mall owner, who has challenged the earlier court order directing malls to provide free parking to visitors for the first hour, to show that they have the power to levy parking charges on visitors.

More details:

– Commercial establishments from Vadodara, Surat, and Ahmedabad, had approached the single judge bench of the court against the ban imposed on them from collecting parking fees by the police authorities.

– In its judgment, the single High Court judge bench of justice Bela Trivedi had directed the malls and multiplexes to provide free parking to visitors for first hour and cap the daily maximum parking charges to Rs 10 and Rs 30 for two-and-four-wheelers, respectively. The court had also ordered the state government to frame parking policy, if it wishes to control the parking charges levied by malls.

– Ruchi Malls Private Limited challenged the single judge verdict before division bench of High Court.

– Division bench of Acting Chief Justice AS Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav during the hearing asked the petitioner to show the rules and regulations based on which it is charging money from visitors for providing parking facility.

-The division bench during the hearing of the matter asked the petitioner to show the rules and regulations based on which it is charging money from visitors for providing parking facility. While the court wanted to settle the issue on Monday, the counsel for the petitioner sought time after which further hearing has been scheduled Tuesday.

– Before the city mall challenged the order, Vadodara’s Inorbit Malls (India) Pvt Ltd raised objections to the HC’s directions to malls and multiplexes to provide free parking to visitors for the first hour. It also challenged the HC’s order to private buildings to charge moderate parking fees, Rs 30 for a four-wheeler and Rs 10 for a two-wheeler per day at most. The HC granted a stay on the single-judge’s order so far as Inorbit Malls is concerned.