N. MANI vs SANGEETHA THEATRE & ORS — C.A. No. 6460/1998

Case Summary: N. Mani v. Sangeetha Theatre & Ors. (C.A. No. 6460/1998) Outcome: The Supreme Court allowed the appeal on March 16, 2004, setting aside the High Court Division Bench's judgment and restoring the Single Judge's order. The Court upheld the Government of Tamil Nadu's October 30, 1995 exemption order granting N. Mani's touring cinema (Sri Karthikeya Touring Talkies) exemption from Rule 14 distance restrictions under the Tamil Nadu Cinemas (Regulation) Rules, 1957. Key Finding: The Court rejected the Division Bench's reasoning that the exemption order was invalid merely because it did not explicitly reference Section 11 of the Act. The Court held that the Government had lawful power to grant the exemption under the proviso inserted in Rule 14 by Government Order No. 1326 (September 6, 1995), and failure to cite the specific statutory source does not vitiate a valid exercise of power. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.