Supreme Court stays 90-day notice rule for movie ticket price hikes in Telangana

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order of the Telangana High Court that directed the State government to announce any hike in movie ticket prices at least 90 days before a film’s release.

A bench, comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar, issued notices to the Telangana government and other respondents while hearing an appeal filed by film production house Mythri Movie Makers challenging the High Court order.

HC order challenged in Supreme Court

The appeal was filed against a ruling of a division bench of the Telangana High Court, which had refused to interfere with an interim order earlier passed by a single-judge bench.

The single-judge bench had directed the State government to place any decision regarding movie ticket price hikes in the public domain at least 90 days before the release of the film.

The court said the requirement was in line with Section 7A of the Telangana Cinemas Regulation Act, 1955, which allows the public to file objections or representations regarding proposed ticket price revisions.

How did the dispute start?

The case stemmed from a memo issued by the Telangana Home Department on January 8 permitting a hike in ticket prices for the Chiranjeevi-starrer film Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, which was scheduled for release on January 12.

The memo allowing the price hike was challenged before the High Court by advocate Dachepally Chandra Babu.

He argued that sudden increases in movie ticket prices deprive the public of their right to review or object to such decisions under the provisions of the Telangana Cinemas Regulation Act.

HC direction on public disclosure

While hearing the petition, the single-judge bench had directed that any future decision by the State government to permit a hike in ticket prices must be made public at least 90 days before the film’s release.

This, the court said, would enable interested persons to file applications or representations under Section 7A of the Act.

“Having considered the above facts and circumstances, if in future the government takes a decision to hike movie ticket prices, the respondents are directed to place such a decision in the public domain 90 days before the release of the movie,” the court had stated in its interim order.

Stay by Supreme Court

However, the Supreme Court has now stayed the operation of the High Court order and sought responses from the Telangana government and other parties on the plea filed by Mythri Movie Makers.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing after responses are filed.