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Tamil Nadu: Madras HC Refuses To Pass Interim Orders In Plea Challenging Online Rummy Law; Issues Notice To State Government
Online Rummy Ban Challenged In Madras High Court
A Division Bench of the Madras High Court comprising Acting Chief Justice T Raja and D Bharatha Chakravathy has refused to pass interim orders in a case filed by online gaming companies against the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022.
The Bench said that it would not be correct to pass any orders without having the response of the state government. It issued a notice to the state government asking it to file its response by the second week of June.
Senior Counsels Abhishek Manu Singhvi and C Aryama Sundaram argued for the online gaming companies and online gaming federation respectively. The Tamil Nadu government was represented by Senior Counsel Kapil Sibal.
Singhvi said that he is against the blanket ban brought by the law and added that the Centre has been making efforts at self-regulation of the industry with certain safeguards in place.
Further, he said that only the Centre had the power to regulate the games of skill.
Sundaram too argued on similar lines.
According to a news report, the Act had classified games such as online rummy as games of chance and a form of online gambling. Gambling is a subject in the state list.
In August 2021, the High Court struck down a similar law passed during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) regime, stating that a blanket ban on games of skill was not appropriate.
It said that a complete ban was disproportionate.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government then passed a new Bill in October 2022, which was returned to the state Assembly by Governor RN Ravi in March 2023.
In the interim, the DMK ran a campaign saying that by not giving assent to the Bill, Governor Ravi was responsible for the death of many persons who committed suicide because they incurred huge losses.
The Bill received assent from Governor Ravi after it was passed by the Assembly once again in April 2023.
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