The Vijayawada Exhibitors’ Association (VEA) have filed a writ petition in the A.P. High Court challenging the proposed launch of an exclusive cinema ticket booking platform by the A.P. State Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation (APSFTTDC).
VEA secretary T. Sai Surya Prasad said in the petition that the government made an amendment to the A.P. Cinema (Regulations) Act, 1955, to launch the ticketing portal.
As per the amended legislation, if the aggregators / cinema theatres were to sell movie tickets, they had to do the same through a gateway created / maintained by APSFTTDC at service charges not exceeding 2% on admission rates, and had to fulfill certain other conditions.
This action of the State government was in absolute violation of the freedom to trade guaranteed as a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, he argued.
The sale of movie tickets by limiting the service charge to 2% would severely affect the revenues of the exhibitors, and the government’s action of bringing out a portal of its own amounted to establishing an indirect monopoly.
