HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Friday issued notices to Telangana State government and directed the respondents to file detailed counters by the next date of hearing in plea filed by online ticket booking portal Buymovietickets’s founder Srikanth Punati, challenging GO 47, brought to regulate the services provided by online cinema ticket booking platforms.
The plea was heard by a division bench headed by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice A Venkateswara Reddy. Senior Counsel D Prakash Reddy, who appeared for the petitioner, informed the court that all actions taken by respondent are arbitrary, unconstitutional and the Telangana Cinemas Regulation Act 1955 is violative of Articles 14 and 191g of the Constitution of India.
Petitioner contended that the conditions imposed upon the petitioners for the grant of license by the authorities vide its order dated October 13, 2021 stated that only 50 per cent of the total tickets can be sold online.
A maximum of Rs 6 can be levied as service charge by the petitioner for rendering its online booking service and stoppage of online booking of tickets two hours before the show timing.