Court orders status quo on TS’ online film tickets HC RELIEF FOR ILAIAH

The Hyderabad High Court has directed the Telangana state government to maintain status quo with regard to introduction of the online ticketing system in cinema theatres across the city.

Justice S.V. Bhatt was dealing with a petition filed by the managements of Shanthi theatre and two other theatres challenging GO Rt No 2025 issued on September 26.

The order permitted the managing director of the Telangana State Film Development Corporation (TSFDC) to implement the online ticketing system and allowed it to collect 1.98 per cent on the existing rate of each ticket as portal and FDC charges.

The petitioners submitted that based on the GO, a circular had been issued on November 11 directing them to enrol with the TSFDC ticketing portal. The circular stated that “any cinema hall failing to enrol with the TSFDC will result in lack of sales data of the theatre. Such theatre will not be able to make use of benefit of this portal and due to lack of sales data such theatre may be subject to levy of taxes/charges on houseful capacity”.

The petitioners contended that this provision showed that the government was threatening theatre owners to enter into agreements with the FDC.

They told the court that in the normal process, tickets are sold through an agency which will pay the theatre owner. In the case of the TSFDC it was the opposite.

They said that on inquiry, the TSFDC informed that it was not doing the business directly and that it placed orders with Century Tek Systems Private Limited. Owners have to purchase the computerised system from that agency for each theatre. On sale of every ticket, the third respondent gets 38 paise and the rest is given as service charges to the agency. The Hyderabad High Court on Monday granted relief to Prof. Kancha Ilaiah by dispensing with his personal appearance before the X Metropolitan Magistrate at Neredmet.

Justice M. Satyanarayana Murthy was dealing with a petition by Prof. Ilaiah who sought quashing of criminal proceedings pending against him in the Malkajgiri police station.

The Malkajgiri police on October 11 had registered a case against Prof. Ilaiah based on a complaint from a student, K. Nagaraju.

Prof. Ilaiah urged the court to declare the action of the Malkajgiri police in registering a case against him under the Prevention of SC and STs Atrocities (POA) Act as illegal.

Prof. Ilaiah urged the court to quash the case against him as the allegations were absurd and vague.