India, Aug. 8 -- The Bombay High Court on Thursday upheld the Maharashtra government's right to levy entertainment tax on convenience fees charged during online ticket bookings, whether or not the platform is owned by multiplexes.

The ruling was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice MS Sonak and Justice Jitendra Jain, while hearing petitions filed by the FICCI-Multiplex Association of India and Big Tree Entertainment Pvt Ltd. The petitioners had challenged the state's authority to levy entertainment tax on convenience fees under the Maharashtra Entertainments Duty (Amendment) Act, 2014.

The petitioners had challenged the 2014 amendment, which enabled the state to impose a tax on convenience fees collected when tickets are boo...