Madras High Court has imposed fine on theatres for charging extra money for tickets during big star movie releases. One Devarajan had filed a case alleging that theaters charged excessive fees for the tickets of Rajinikanth's Kabali, the Suriya-starrer Singam 3 and Vijay's Bairavaa released during the festive season in 2017. In his petition, Devarajan mentioned that there was no action taken regarding his grievance even after he raised a complaint to the police and other government officials. In that light, the petition had come up for hearing in the Madras HC on Wednesday, February 15, with the judiciary ordering the Tamil Nadu government to implement necessary action against theatres charging more than the fee fixed by the government.
Earlier, the state government had reported that fines were collected from those theatres charging extra for big star releases. The court in their latest directive has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to keep track of ticket prices being overcharged by the theatres when big films release. The order was given by Justice Anita Sumanth, with the judge emphasizing that the plaintiff has been appealing for action on the matter since 2015 and also filed a petition requesting theatres to be punished for the collection of excessive fees for films like Yennai Arindhaal, Puli, Vedalam, Thoongavanam, and Thanga Magan. After hearing his petition, the court issued an order to establish a special team to observe such violations and keep the public informed through publicity. Considering that order was not followed, the petitioner filed the same petition once again, and the matter was subsequently taken up, with the government filing two counter affidavits, which were already produced in the Madras HC in 2016 and 2017.
In 2016, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh ordered the formation of special squads to crack down on theatres engaging in unlawful activities. The court also noted that theatres could only charge a maximum of 120 for the tickets, with IMAX screens charging a maximum of 480. The petitioner moved the current petitions even after the categorical ruling, claiming that many theatres were defrauding their patrons and that the government was not steadfast in dealing with the issue.
