India, Aug. 23 -- The Delhi High Court on Friday questioned the legality of restaurants charging customers beyond the maximum retail price (MRP) of goods under the pretext of ambience or a premium dining experience, in addition to levying service charges.

The observation came after senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), defended the practice before a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela. He argued that charges above MRP were justified on account of the ambience and overall experience provided to customers.

The bench, however, expressed strong reservations.

"Apart from MRP, you're...