The Supreme Court of India on Friday stayed an order of the Telangana High Court that required the state government to notify any increase in film ticket prices at least 90 days before the movie’s release date.
A bench comprising J. K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar issued notices to the Government of Telangana and other parties while hearing a petition filed by Mythri Movie Makers.
Appeal Against High Court Order
The Supreme Court was hearing an appeal by the production house challenging a decision of the Telangana High Court’s division bench, which had refused to interfere with an earlier interim order passed by a single-judge bench.
On January 20, the single-judge bench had directed the state government to place any decision related to movie ticket price hikes 90 days before a film’s release, as required under Section 7A of the Telangana Cinemas Regulation Act 1955.
Dispute Linked to Ticket Price Hike for Film
The controversy arose after the state’s Home Department issued a memo on January 8 allowing a temporary ticket price increase for the film Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, starring Chiranjeevi, which was scheduled for release on January 12.
Petition Filed in High Court
The memo was challenged before the Telangana High Court by advocate Dachepally Chandra Babu, who argued that sudden ticket price hikes prevent the public from exercising their right to submit objections or representations under the law.
The petitioner contended that adequate notice should be given to allow people to review such decisions.
High Court’s Interim Direction
In its interim order, the single-judge bench had directed that any future decision by the government to allow a ticket price increase must be made public at least 90 days before the movie’s release.
The order stated that this would enable interested individuals to file applications or objections under Section 7A of the Telangana Cinemas Regulation Act, 1955.
With the Supreme Court’s stay on the High Court order, the matter will now proceed further as the apex court examines the appeal filed by the film production company.
