Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday stayed the State government's notification capping the price of movie tickets at ₹200 in a major relief to modern multiplexes.
Justice Ravi V Hosmani passed the interim order on petitions filed by Multiplex Association of India and others including movie producers. The petitions prayed for setting aside the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) (Amendment) Rules, 2025, notified on September 12, and had also sought an interim stay on the price cap arguing it as being violative of the Constitution.
The petitioners had said capping cinema ticket prices for all theatres regardless of whether they are multiplexes or otherwise was unreasonable since multiplexes were capital intensive compared to single-screen theatres.
The petitioners had also pointed out that the government had sought to cap cinema ticket prices selectively while leaving OTT platforms, satellite TV and other entertainment platforms unregulated.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the association, last week, wondered if a customer wanted to pay more for luxury, why should the government come in the way. He called the pricing order violative of Article 14 and Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.
He had also argued that investors have spent huge sums of money on building cinema halls. Hence the government cannot issue directions that all ticket prices should be at Rs 200 or all airlines must have economy class. The government has no power to fix a ticket price under the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) Act. He called such moves by the government a restriction on a citizen’s right to do business. Senior advocate Uday Holla had argued facilities provided at a multiplex are completely different from those provided at theatres.
Justice Ravi V Hosmani passed the interim order on petitions filed by Multiplex Association of India and others including movie producers. The petitions prayed for setting aside the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) (Amendment) Rules, 2025, notified on September 12, and had also sought an interim stay on the price cap arguing it as being violative of the Constitution.
The petitioners had said capping cinema ticket prices for all theatres regardless of whether they are multiplexes or otherwise was unreasonable since multiplexes were capital intensive compared to single-screen theatres.
The petitioners had also pointed out that the government had sought to cap cinema ticket prices selectively while leaving OTT platforms, satellite TV and other entertainment platforms unregulated.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the association, last week, wondered if a customer wanted to pay more for luxury, why should the government come in the way. He called the pricing order violative of Article 14 and Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.
He had also argued that investors have spent huge sums of money on building cinema halls. Hence the government cannot issue directions that all ticket prices should be at Rs 200 or all airlines must have economy class. The government has no power to fix a ticket price under the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) Act. He called such moves by the government a restriction on a citizen’s right to do business. Senior advocate Uday Holla had argued facilities provided at a multiplex are completely different from those provided at theatres.
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