Supreme Court stays Telangana HC order mandating 90-day notice for film ticket price hikes

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Telangana High Court order directing the State government to place any decision allowing an increase in cinema ticket prices in the public domain 90 days before the release of a film [Mythri Movie Makers Vs Dachepally Chandra Babu].

A Bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar noted that the High Court’s interim direction had the potential to affect all film releases in Telangana and warranted immediate intervention.

Taking note of the submissions, the Court stayed the operation of the High Court’s order, allowing the existing mechanism governing ticket price approvals to continue for now.

The order was challenged before the Supreme Court by film production house Mythri Movie Makers. Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Niranjan Reddy appeared for the petitioner.

During today's hearing, the petitioner's counsel argued that the High Court’s interim direction had the effect of disrupting film releases across the State.

“The nature of the interim order passed in that case has an effect of stalling everybody,” the Court was told.

They also questioned the basis for the High Court’s requirement that decisions on ticket price hikes be made public 90 days before the release of a movie.

“Now, movie is being released next week. How can it be? And from where you get this 90 days? Movies are made inside 90 days,” they argued.

Counsel further submitted that the High Court had passed similar ad-interim directions in other matters without hearing affected parties.

“The learned judge has passed three similar orders in three different cases… you can’t do this by an ad-interim order. You don’t hear anybody,” they said.

The High Court order under challenge was passed on January 20, 2026 by Justice NV Shravan Kumar on a writ petition filed by a lawyer, advocate Dachepally Chandra Babu.

Babu challenged a January 8, 2026, memo issued by the Telangana Home Department permitting enhanced ticket prices for the film Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, released on January 12.

The petitioner argued that permissions for ticket price hikes were often granted just days before the release of films, leaving no practical opportunity for stakeholders or members of the public to challenge the decision.

He also pointed out that Section 7A of the Telangana Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1955, permitted stakeholders to seek a review of ticket price hike approvals within 90 days of such decisions.

By its interim order, the High Court directed that any decision allowing ticket price hikes in the future must be placed in the public domain 90 days before the release of the film, to enable stakeholders to seek review of such decisions under Section 7A of the 1955 Act.

The said directive was issued to the Telangana government and the Hyderabad Police Commissioner (Cinemas Licensing Authority).

This has now been challenged before the Supreme Court, which today stayed the High Court's interim order.