Massive News: HC Says Ticket Hikes Must Be Done 90 Days In Advance!

Telangana High Court has issued a very interesting direction with regards to the ongoing cinema ticket price issue in the state. It has been established in principal that ticket hike permission must be secured from the government at least 90 days before the release of the film.

The petitioner contended that the State of Telangana’s Department of Home, through its Principal Secretary, granted the price escalation arbitrarily without verifying the film's specific budget, source of funds, or income and expenditure statements.

The plea argued that such approvals, lacking a supporting affidavit from the moviemakers, constitute a violation of the right to information for the general audience and stakeholders, further describing the decision making process as irrational and opaque. In a stern judicial response, the High Court issued a suo moto contempt notice against CV Anand, the Principal Secretary of the Home Department.

This action stems from the issuance of the price hike order on January 8, 2026, which the court noted was done without informing the bench during a related hearing on January 9, 2026, involving the film ‘Raja Saab’. During that prior proceeding, the court had explicitly directed the state not to issue such hike orders except in strict accordance with the law.

The court viewed the subsequent availability of the hike for ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’ on January 10 as a blatant disregard for judicial oversight and an attempt to bypass standing legal observations. Establishing a new regulatory precedent to curb eleventh-hour price surges, Justice NV Shravan Kumar directed that any future decisions regarding movie ticket price revisions must be finalized and announced at least 90 days in advance of the film's release date. The court emphasized that this timeframe is a mandate under the Telangana Cinemas Regulation Act 1955, designed to ensure transparency and prevent sudden financial burdens on the public.