The Telangana High Court has expressed strong displeasure towards the producers of Akhanda 2 and online ticketing platform BookMyShow for defying court orders and selling tickets at hiked rates. Justice NV Shravan Kumar questioned the disregard for judicial instructions, asking, "Do court orders mean nothing? Why are tickets still being sold online?"
The court specifically grilled BookMyShow, which claimed tickets were sold before the suspension order was received, demanding to know if sales continued at increased rates. In response, the High Court issued Contempt of Court notices to CV Anand IPS, Telangana's Home Department Secretary, and Ashish Hemrajani, CEO of BookMyShow, for allowing premiere shows to proceed despite the suspension of the government's ticket price hike order.
The next hearing is scheduled for two weeks later, with the court seeking a detailed report on ticket sales. Nandamuri Balakrishna and Boyapati Srinu's Akhanda 2: Thaandavam released today, December 12, amidst this controversy. On Thursday, the High Court suspended the Telangana government's memo allowing ticket price increases, yet lawyer Vijay Gopal filed a contempt petition alleging violations.
The court criticized producers and BookMyShow, emphasizing that ignoring orders to collect extra money from the public is illegal. Legal experts suggest the outcome could set a precedent for regulating ticket prices in future big releases.