Act against cinema theatres fleecing moviegoers, Madras High Court orders T.N. government

The Hindu

2 days ago

The Madras High Court, on Monday (June 9, 2025), directed the Tamil Nadu government to initiate appropriate action against cinema theatres which charge over and above the rates fixed by the State government.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh issued the direction while disposing of a writ petition filed by G. Devarajan of Chennai in 2017 accusing cinema theatres of fleecing the audience during the first four days of the release of new movies.
With specific reference to the excess charges allegedly collected by certain theatres during the release of Ajith Kumar-starrer Vivegam that year, the petitioner had also sought a direction to refund the excess charges to the cinema goers.
When the case was listed for final hearing now, an Additional Government Pleader brought it to the notice of the court that the government had already constituted committees to keep a check over the sale of tickets at cinema theatres.
After recording his submission, the judge wrote: 'When the government has fixed rates, the theatre owners cannot fleece the moviegoers by collecting excess amount. Whenever such practices are reported, the committees must immediately act upon them,'
During the course of hearing of the case, the judge also cautioned that the cinema theatres may not survive for long in view of the increased patronage being received by the Over the Top (OTT) media service platform.
'These days, most people, including the judge sitting before you, prefer to watch movies on OTT using home theatres. Now, we have the convenience of getting even popcorn delivered at home. Therefore, theatre owners must give a thought to it,' he said.