Following the release of Petta and Viswasam for Pongal, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had appointed 23 advocate commissioners to carry out inspection at cinema theaters at Madurai and Usilampatti so as to monitor and verify the sale of tickets and to report exorbitant charges or suppression of actual number of tickets sold.
The order came for hearing today and it was found that screens such as Ambiga Cinemas were found guilty of such malpractices and the court has now ordered for Daily Collection Reports (DCR) from such theaters for a detailed hearing.
The court also ordered for the suspension of two officials who failed to carry out this supervision thoroughly.
The Madurai Bench first took up this issue when one Mahendra Pandi of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) filed a petition over delay in taking action against theater owners who charged exorbitant prices for Sarkar's movie tickets.
It is likely that strict action will be taken against the screens who have been found guilty of overcharging ticket prices or trying to evade GST/Entertainment tax.