The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday stayed the state government’s decision to cap cinema ticket prices at ₹200, granting interim relief to theatre owners and multiplex chains. Justice Ravi Hosmani said the price cap will not take effect until the petitions are heard and decided on merits.
The order came on pleas filed by the Multiplex Association of India, several film production companies, and a shareholder of PVR Inox, challenging the state’s move to impose a uniform ceiling on ticket prices across Karnataka.
Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, Dhyan Chinappa, and Uday Holla argued that the cap is arbitrary, exceeds legislative authority, and infringes the fundamental right to carry on business under Article 19(1)(g). Rohatgi submitted that the amendment oversteps the parent provision, ignores differences between cinema formats, and equates luxury theatres with ordinary halls.
Defending the measure as a policy decision in public interest, the state said theatres and entertainment fall squarely under the State List, empowering it to regulate pricing. Additional Advocate General Ismail Zabiulla argued that the cap—introduced this month via an amendment to the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) Rules, 2014)—aims to ensure affordable access to cinema. The rule applies uniformly across the state, except boutique or premium-format theatres with 75 seats or fewer.
With the interim stay, existing pricing practices will continue until the High Court completes its hearing on the challenge.
