Karnataka HC stays govt order capping film ticket prices at Rs 200 in cinema halls, multiplexes
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday issued an interim stay on the Congress-led government’s order capping movie ticket prices at Rs 200 in multiplexes and cinema halls across the state.
The order was passed by a bench headed by Justice Ravi V. Hosmani.
The Multiplex Association of India and other parties have filed a petition before the High Court seeking interim relief to the government’s order in this regard and challenged Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) (Amendment) Rules 2025 regarding capping of prices at Rs 200.
The petitioners claimed that the state government’s order is against the Karnataka Cinema (Regulation) Rule 1964. They claimed that the rule is imposed unilaterally without consulting the stakeholders.
The Karnataka High Court on September 16 had reserved the verdict on the plea challenging the Karnataka government’s order to cap the price of movie tickets at Rs 200 in Bengaluru and across the state.
Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Multiplex Association of India, had submitted that the government added a new condition to a rule related to cinema regulation in Karnataka, and this new condition is unjustified, arbitrary and has no logical reason.
He further submitted that the price of the ticket is fixed at Rs 200. What is the reason for setting this fixed price? If a customer is willing to pay more for additional luxury or better services, there is no justification for applying the same flat rule to everyone without considering individual choices.
He pointed out that a similar order was passed by the government in April 2017. The matter was challenged before the High Court, and the order in this regard was nullified. After this, the government withdrew the order. Now, the government is trying to do the same by bringing an amendment to the rule.
Senior counsel Rohatgi submitted, “He is arguing that the government or authority should not impose a fixed ticket price because businesses invest money expecting to charge different prices based on the level of service or quality. There should be freedom for pricing based on market dynamics, and the law does not empower setting a fixed price. There can’t be a direction that all airlines should be in economy class.”
Hundreds of cinema businesses are being negatively affected by this new rule, and therefore, the implementation of this proviso should be temporarily suspended until the court makes a final decision on the matter, he pleaded.
Senior advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, appearing for Hombale Films, stated that making a rule in the guise of amending the rule is totally illegal.
Additional Advocate General S. Ismail Zabiulla, appearing for the state, submitted that the decision to fix the ticket price is made in the interest of the public.
The right to regulation in this regard is rendered by the Constitution. A law can be struck down if it exceeds the legislature’s power, violates fundamental rights, contradicts the Constitution, or is obviously unfair, he underlined.
The Karnataka government has issued new regulations capping movie ticket prices at Rs 200 (excluding taxes) across the state, marking a significant move to make cinema entertainment more affordable for the public on September 13.
The government stated that the price ceiling comes into effect following the state government’s amendment to the Karnataka Cinema (Control) Rules, 2014. The new regulations will be officially known as the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
The Karnataka government had issued new regulations capping movie ticket prices at Rs 200 excluding taxes across the state, with an objective to make film tickets more affordable for the public.
The price ceiling, announced on September 12, came into effect following the state government’s amendment to the Karnataka Cinema (Control) Rules, 2014. The new regulations will be officially known as the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
However, the cap includes a notable exception. Multi-screen cinemas with premium facilities having 75 seats or fewer will be exempted from the price restrictions, allowing them to maintain their current pricing structure.