The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed two officials who failed to inspect theaters in Madurai during Pongal. The court appointed 23 advocate commissioners to inspect theatres in Madurai and Usilampatti to ensure ticket rates were in accordance with rates fixed by the government.
According to a report in News 18, the court had appointed 23 teams consisting of three officials each (a municipal official, one from the revenue department, and an advocate) to inspect 23 theaters in Madurai which screened Viswasam and Petta. A detailed report on the inspection was later filed in the court claiming that two authorities who were assigned to oversee Ambika and Moogambika theaters failed to do so.
The case came to hearing at the bench headed by Justices Suseentharan and Aadhikesavalu on Monday, and the judges asked the Commissioner of Madurai City Corporation to take disciplinary action against the officials and dismiss them.
The report submitted by advocate commissioners also said that most theaters failed to abide by the ticket rates fixed by the government during Pongal, and that a few theaters screened films all through the day for 24 hours (theaters are allowed to screen a maximum of four shows per day).
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According to a report in The Hindu, advocate Niranjan S Kumar, a court-appointed commissioner, claimed that the collection reports were fudged, and that the theaters did not disclose their seating capacity and altered occupancy rates accordingly. It added that a theater owner had claimed that the application for the renewal of theater license was pending before the authorities concerned, when he was asked why he did not renew the license. Niranjan also alleged that the corporation officials who should have accompanied him during the exercise, failed to do so.
Initially, P Mahendra Pandi of Madurai filed a petition in court seeking direction to regularise movie ticket rates in the city during the release of Sarkar. When the case came up for hearing on November 1, the judge passed an order to cancel the license of the theaters that sold tickets at a higher price. The court also sought a report on the action taken by the government against the theaters found to be charging a rate higher than the mandated price.
The petitioner wrote that no action was taken against the theater management despite the order and filed a contempt of court suit. After the second hearing, a report was submitted on behalf of the district collector stating that notices seeking explanation have been sent to eight theaters.