Government told to probe theatres that charge excess fare

Slamming the government for failing to enforce its own policy, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice MM Sundresan, said the special team to be formed within three weeks should monitor the violations and provide the public a channel for filing complaints. 

“If the purpose of fixing maximum fee is to provide a facility to the people to watch films at cheaper rates, this cannot be made illusionary and only applicable on paper without proper implementation,” the bench said. The bench also recorded that the charges for booking tickets online have been shown as Rs 300 or more per ticket, while the maximum price fixed is Rs 120. 

The petitioner G Devarajan had sought the court to direct the government to take action against theatre owners, who collect excessive ticket charges. He had also sought action against online ticket agencies who colluded with theatre owners to collect excess ticket charges.