Madras High Court Asks Govt To Consider Permitting Screening Of Vijay-Starrer 'Leo' From 7AM Instead Of 9AM

Justice Anita Sumanth made the directions on a plea filed by K Ramachandran, producer of the film seeking permission for screening of a special show from 7 a.m. and to permit an additional special show on the date of release at 4 am.

The producer had informed the court that as per the condition in 14-A of Form C of the Tamil Nadu Cinemas (Regulation) Rules 1957 theatres were not permitted to screen more than 4 shows of the film a day, and as per Government Orders issued by the Home Department in August 1973, the range of times for exhibition was from 9 am to 1:30 am of the succeeding day.

The producer informed the court that though they had sought relaxation from the above and to permit 6 shows on the release day, ie 19^th October and 5 shows from 20^th- 24^th October, the State had allowed only 5 shows on all days till 24^th October. It was argued that it was impossible to screen the movie within the time frames set by the State as the movie’s running time was 2 hours 45 minutes and the total running time of 5 shows, including the time if ingress and egress, interval etc would be 18 hours and 45 minutes.

The State Public Prosecutor however informed the court that the permission for one special show was granted in addition to the four regular shows exercising powers under Section 11 of Tamil Nadu Cinemas Regulation Act, 1955. At the same time, he informed the court that the authority was unaware of the duration of the film while granting permission.

The court, however, refused to accept this defence. The court observed that the State ought to ascertain the details of the film before granting permission.

“It is not for the government to say that we have looked into every aspect and then say that they were unaware of the running time of the movie. That we cannot allow and we cannot condemn,” the judge said.

However, since the Government Order itself was not challenged, the court said that it could not direct screening of special shows. The court however directed the State to re-consider its decision and consider screening of the movie from 7am.

The court also suo moto impleaded the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association and directed them to ensure proper compliance to the protocols and ensure that no law and order problems arise.

Counsel for the Petitioner: Mr.Srinath Sridevan Senior Counsel for Mr.V.Karthikeyan

Counsel for the Respondent: Mr.R.Shunmuga Sundaram assisted by Mr.Hasan Mohd. Jinnah State Public Prosecutor

Citation: 2023 LiveLaw (Mad) 319

Case Title: Mr K Ramachandran v The Principal Secretary to Government and Others

Case No: W.P.No.30228 of 2023