Telangana HC sets aside order suspending State memo on enhanced ticket prices for OG

The Telangana High Court has set aside a single judge’s interim order suspending the State Government’s memo allowing higher ticket prices for Pawan Kalyan’s film OG. The bench directed a fresh hearing on September 26, citing the memo’s limited validity till October 4.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: A division bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice Vakiti Ramakrishna Reddy on Thursday set aside the interim order of a single judge suspending the State Government’s memo permitting enhanced ticket prices for the Pawan Kalyan-starrer OG, and directed that the matter be heard afresh on September 26.

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The appeal was filed by the film’s producer, who argued that the government had granted an exemption under Section 12 of the Telangana Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1955, permitting higher ticket rates between September 24 and October 4, 2025, but the single judge had suspended this memo at the admission stage on September 24, without notice or hearing.

Senior Counsel Avinash Desai, appearing for the appellant, submitted that such an ex parte suspension effectively nullified the memo and amounted to allowing the writ petition itself. He relied on Supreme Court rulings in Raja Khan v. U.P. Sunni Central Waqf Board and State of U.P. v. Sandeep Kumar Balmiki, which deprecated the practice.

Desai stressed that the exemption was valid only till October 4, and if the writ petition were to be taken up only on October 9, the entire relief sought by the producer would be defeated.The Government Pleader supported the producer, stating that the exemption was granted only after due satisfaction that it fell within the ambit of Section 12, and that the State itself stood to benefit from higher GST collections.

On the other hand, counsel for the writ petitioner Vijay Gopal argued that the memo lacked reasons as required by law, that government policy is contained in G.O.Ms.No.120 of 2021, and that selective exemptions to certain producers were unfair and detrimental to cinegoers. He defended the single judge’s order as justified.

After hearing all sides, the bench held that the memo’s limited validity up to October 4 necessitated urgent adjudication. It remanded the matter to the single judge to hear both parties along with the State and pass orders on September 26 itself, clarifying that the earlier suspension order would remain in abeyance till then.