India, April 29 -- The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has moved the Delhi high court challenging a single judge's decision last month against the automatic levy of service charges in restaurants and hotels. The court had held that such a practice imposed an "extraordinary burden" on consumers without their explicit consent.

The appeal is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday by a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela. The restaurant body, represented by Dr Lalit Bhasin, contended that the levy of the specifically mentioned service charge on the restaurant's menu card and displayed in the establishment did not constitute an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, since it protects th...