Andhra Pradesh high court refuses to stay ticket price hike for Allu Arjun-starrer 'Pushpa-2'

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh high court on Wednesday declined to stay the memo issued by the state govt allowing movie theatres to increase the ticket prices of 'Pushpa-2' movie. However, the court suggested that the govt follow its orders passed recently in a petition on the same subject. In the earlier petition challenging the ticket price hike of 'Devara' movie, the court had directed the govt to limit the number of days to 10 for increasing the ticket prices.
One S Venkateswarlu from Nellore moved a PIL in the high court, contending that the permission given to hike ticket prices of 'Pushpa-2' movie is illegal and in violation of GO 13 of March 7, 2022. He argued that as per the GO, permission should be given to only five shows per day, but for 'Pushpa-2' permission has been granted for six shows.
He further raised objections to screening the movie in the name of premier shows at abnormally high prices. The counsel for the petitioner stated that the premier show ticket prices were abnormally hiked, which is in violation of rules, which also do not permit screening six shows per day.
The HC bench headed by Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Ravi Cheemalapati observed that if ticket prices are being increased in accordance with the norms, there cannot be any objection to the same. But if the petitioner feels that the premier show costs are very high, he should avoid such shows, the bench suggested, while asking the petitioner come up with subjects that involve larger public interest than movie tickets.
As the counsel for the petitioner pressed on the violation of high court orders by allowing the increase in ticket prices for 12 days as against 10 days as per the GO, the court suggested that the state govt follow the orders given earlier in the case on the number of days, adding that detailed orders will be passed in the petition.