Gauhati High Court Orders Ban on Illegal Lotteries in Assam | Guwahati News – Times of India

Guwahati: Gauhati high court has directed the state govt to issue directions to all district commissioners (DCs) and SPs not to grant any permission to any individual or organization for organizing online or offline lotteries.
The division bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice N Unni Krishnan Nair stated that in case any such offline or online lotteries are found to be organised illegally, the SP of the district concerned shall take immediate action against those persons or organisers in accordance with law.
The bench on Thursday was hearing a petition filed by one Rupam Borborah alleging illegal offline and online lotteries in various districts of the state in violation of the Lotteries Regulation Act, 1998 and the Lottery Regulation Rules, 2010 and no action from the state govt to curb it. The petition was filed earlier this year.
The Amicus Curiae in the case, HK Das, informed the court that as per the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998 and the Lotteries (Regulation) Rules, 2010, only the state govt can organise a lottery, that too, on certain terms and conditions.
He submitted before the court that in many of the cases, applications are moved by the individuals seeking permission from the district commissioner concerned for organising offline or online lottery and some of the district commissioners are granting the said permission without any authority.
He further submitted that since festive season has commenced and there is every likelihood that illegal offline or online lotteries will be organised in many places of Assam, while obtaining permissions from the concerned DCs or authorities, a strict prohibitory order is required to be passed by the court so that poor people of the state may not be duped by the illegal organisers of offline or online lottery in the state.
Meanwhile, after noticing that no response has been filed by the state govt to counter the petition till date, the court has granted six weeks’ time to the state govt to file the counter to the petition in way of an affidavit stating as to how the state govt is proceeding to tackle the illegal organization of offline or online lotteries in the state.
However, the court said counter affidavits have been filed on behalf of some DCs, who are impleaded as party respondent in the petition.

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