Kochi | The High Court here on Tuesday sought the stand of the state government on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking regulation of movie ticket pricing practices by multiplex operators in Kerala.
A bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji asked the lawyer for the government to come with instructions regarding the allegations of "arbitrary and excessive" ticket pricing practices by multiplex owners, in the plea.
The court listed the matter next on July 1.
The plea, by Manu Nair G, claims that there is an absence of a regulatory framework in Kerala with regard to movie ticket pricing.
This has led to the "unchecked practice" of dynamic pricing by multiplex operators.
Nair also claimed in his PIL that several other states, like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, have "adopted affirmative legal measures to cap cinema ticket rates and ensure affordability for the public".
"The absence of a similar policy in Kerala creates unjustifiable discrimination among citizens based solely on their state of residence, violating Article 14," he claimed.
The petitioner also contended that affordable entertainment is an aspect of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
He further submitted that arbitrary pricing of movie tickets without any regulatory oversight "results in exclusion, especially of the lower and middle income families and constitutes a failure of the state to discharge its positive obligations under the Constitution".
