Collection of parking fee in malls is very common in India. In this opinion that malls don't have the right to collect parking fees, Kerela High Court said that this practice in inappropriate. The court has received various pleas against the collection of parking fees by Lulu International shopping mall in Kerela. Justice P.V. Kunihikrishnan asked Kalamassery Municipality about the same and the plea would be taken up after two-weeks.
After hearing both the sides, the petitioner and the advocate, the Kerela High Court ordered the Municipality to file a statement to mention their stand on collecting of parking fee by mall for a mandatory parking space under building rules. The matter will be taken further in the court on 28 January 2022.
Bosco Louis, a social worker who moved the first petition when he was charged Rs 20 as parking fee when he visited the mall on 2nd December, 2021.
Meantime, the court has not put any restrictions for collecting parking fee but clarified that the mall can continue to do so at their own risk. This is not the first time that this issue came up. Previously, high court of Gujarat, Karnataka also heard such plea seeking free car spaces in malls and rejected to entertain it. At the end, the court claimed that, "Someone incurs a cost for maintaining the parking space at a cinema hall. How can it be free?"
