MUMBAI, July 11 -- The Bombay High Court on Thursday struck down a decade-old Maharashtra government order that barred cinema halls from levying convenience fees on online ticket bookings, ruling that the move infringed upon the fundamental right to carry on business. A division bench of Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice Jitendra Jain held that the April 4, 2013 order issued by the Revenue Commissioner - and a follow-up order dated March 18, 2014 - lacked statutory backing and violated Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which guarantees citizens the freedom to practise any profession or carry on any trade or business. "The impugned GO transgressed the fundamental rights under Article 19(1)(g) granted to the petitioners by prohibiting theatre owners and others from collecting the convenience fees from their customers," the bench said. "If business owners are not permitted to determine various facets of their business (in accordance with law), economic activity would come to a grinding halt." Notably, the 2013 and 2014 orders had remained in abeyance for nearly a decade, as the High Court had stayed their operation through an interim order passed on July 9, 2014. As a result, theatre owners had continued charging the convenience fee while the matter was sub judice. The ruling came in response to petitions filed by PVR Ltd, Big Tree Entertainment Pvt Ltd (which operates BookMyShow), and the FICCI-Multiplex Association of India, challenging the legality of the state's directives. The petitioners contended that online booking was an optional facility that involved investment in technology and infrastructure. Customers, they argued, were free to purchase tickets at the box office if they did not wish to pay the extra fee. The court concurred, stating that the choice ultimately lay with the consumer and that the government could not dictate terms of business without specific legal provisions. "The government orders... lack statutory basis and therefore cannot justify curtailing the petitioners' rights under Article 19(1)(g)," the court said. The ruling is expected to strengthen the position of private service providers offering online conveniences, particularly in the entertainment and events industry, where such charges have become standard practice....