Key points:
- Gujarat High Court bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J B Pardiwala directed the State government to take action against online games involving gambling that are being played and operated from the state.
- Bench of CJ Vikram Nath and Justice Pardiwala issued order in response to PIL over mushrooming of online games for gambling.
Gujarat High Court bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J B Pardiwala directed the State government to take action against online games involving gambling that are being played and operated from the state. The court issued the order in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Amit Nair raising the issue that online gambling games have been mushrooming and they should be restricted.
“We have reached the conclusion that the applicant has pointed out something very important in the public interest, but the question is to what extent, we can impose upon the State government to do the needful. It is not permissible for us, in the exercise of our writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution, to direct the State government to enact a particular type of legislation to take care of the situation,” the bench stated.
“However”, the bench said, “We can always draw the attention of the State Government to all the facts so that it can look into the matter at the earliest and do the needful by the law. The Government pleader has submitted that the issue raised in the PIL is of utmost importance and the government shall look into the same at the earliest by the law”.
The bench said, “We direct the state to consider this writ application as a representation. If the online games involve gambling and if they are being played in the state, then it is expected of the State to deal with the same appropriately”.
