Karnataka’s 2025 amendment prescribed a maximum movie ticket price of ₹200, exclusive of taxes, for screenings in the state, including multiplexes. It exempted certain small premium multi-screen cinemas. The Karnataka High Court stayed the amendment on September 23, 2025, and declined to lift the stay on September 30. Those are the latest case-status developments established here; they do not confirm the legal position on October 8, 2026.
What the Karnataka rule prescribed
The Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) (Amendment) Rules, 2025 amended Rule 55(6) to set a ceiling of ₹200 per ticket for films in all languages and in all theatres across the state, including multiplexes. The ceiling was exclusive of taxes, so it did not mean that the total amount paid by a customer had to be ₹200 or less. The rule said it would commence upon final publication in the Official Gazette. Karnataka Gazette notification
Which cinemas were excepted
The stated exception was for multi-screen cinemas with premium facilities and 75 seats or fewer. The exception was defined by both the premium-facilities condition and the seat limit; it was not a general exemption for multiplexes. The rule’s otherwise broad wording covered all theatres in the state.
What happened in court
September 23, 2025: interim stay
On September 23, 2025, the Karnataka High Court stayed the amendment until further orders in petitions challenging it. In its interim reasoning, the court said, prima facie, the cinema statute did not appear to contain a specific provision authorizing the government to fix ticket prices. That was a preliminary observation, not a final ruling on the amendment’s validity. Justice Ravi V. Hosmani’s order said: “For aforesaid reasons, it is found fit to grant an interim order of stay of Amendment, until further orders.” Karnataka High Court interim order
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September 30, 2025: stay not vacated
On September 30, the High Court declined to vacate the stay and directed that ticket-sales accounts be maintained across payment methods pending adjudication. The Indian Express report on the hearing
Is the ₹200 cap in force now?
The available court-status reporting establishes that the amendment was stayed on September 23, 2025, and that the stay remained in place after the September 30 hearing. It does not establish whether later proceedings changed that position. Accordingly, the 2025 orders alone cannot confirm whether the cap is operative, remains stayed, or has been finally invalidated as of October 8, 2026. Check for subsequent Karnataka High Court or appellate orders before relying on the cap as the current rule.
Quick Recap
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