The Court’s directions came on a plea which moved by film director Pauly Vadakkan after he was charged ₹20 as parking fees when he visited the mall earlier this month.
According to the petitioner, this was a blatant violation of the Kerala Municipality Act and Kerala Municipality Building Rules.
It was contended that as per the rules, the mall is a commercial complex and the place earmarked in the approved building plan for parking cannot be converted into a pay & park facility.
In fact, it is the responsibility of the owner or management to provide free parking spaces to those who visit a commercial complex like Lulu Mall, it was claimed.
The petitioner thus sought a declaration that the collection of parking fees by the mall was illegal and and prayed for directions to refund the ₹20 collected from him.
Pertinently, the plea sought directions to the State government and the municipality to take appropriate steps to recover the total amount of parking fees collected by the Lulu Mall since its inauguration in 2013.
Source: Barandbench
