The Telangana High Court on Saturday chose not to immediately hear a petition challenging a government order that temporarily increased ticket prices for the new Telugu film starring megastar Chiranjeevi. The court directed the petitioner, an advocate, to approach the bench again on January 19, after the Sankranti vacation concludes.
Court's Firm Stance on Weekend Memos
This development comes just a day after the High Court strongly criticized the state authorities for a repeated pattern of behavior. The judges censured the home department for issuing such permission memos on weekends and during court vacations. This practice, the court noted, effectively blocks citizens from seeking urgent legal remedies against these decisions.
The government's memo for Chiranjeevi's film, 'Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu', allowed a temporary price increase of Rs 50 for single-screen theatres and Rs 100 for multiplexes for a period of seven days. The petition filed against it argues that this move is illegal and violates existing laws.
Petitioner's Legal Challenge and Precedent
The petitioner, who is both an advocate and a moviegoer, contended that the memo contradicts the Telangana Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1955 and ignores previous High Court orders that restrict such arbitrary price hikes. In a significant request, the petitioner sought to impose costs of Rs 5 lakh on the Special Chief Secretary of the Home Department, who issued the controversial memo. The plea further requested that this penalty amount be directly recovered from the officer's salary.
This case follows a similar and decisive action by the court just a day earlier. On Friday, the High Court suspended a memo that allowed a ticket price hike for the Prabhas-starrer 'Raja Saab'. In that order, the court issued a strict directive prohibiting the issuance of any future memos for increasing movie ticket prices.
What Happens Next?
The legal battle is now on pause until the courts reopen after the Sankranti holidays. The petitioner will have to wait until January 19 to present arguments before the bench. The court's recent actions and strong remarks indicate a growing intolerance for the executive branch's attempts to bypass legal scrutiny by timing its decisions during judicial breaks.
This ongoing tussle highlights a significant conflict between government discretion and regulatory law in the entertainment sector. The final hearing on January 19 will be closely watched by the film industry, legal experts, and cinema audiences across Telangana, as it could set a lasting precedent for how ticket prices are regulated in the state.
