- Supreme Court to hear a plea on a law prohibiting betting and wagering in online games.
- The Karnataka government contended that cybercrime has become a major issue in the last three years while emphasising the need for a law against online gaming.
- Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, A.M Singhvi, and Shyam Divan, represented the gaming companies' associations.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by the Karnataka government, challenging the Karnataka High Court judgment, which struck down provisions of law prohibiting betting and wagering in online games.
Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, A.M Singhvi, and Shyam Divan, represented the gaming companies' associations, submitted before a bench of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and V. Ramasubramanian that the issue was whether it was game of skill or chance or gambling.
The Karnataka government contended that cybercrime has become a major issue and cited filing of 28,000 cases in the last three years, while emphasising the need for a law against online gaming to maintain public order. It further argued that people have died by suicide and the online gaming has ruined many families, therefore it was necessary to deal with its ill effects.
The state government's plea said: "The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 made criminalised wagering, betting or risking money on the unknown result of an event."
On February 14 this year, the high court struck down the government's ban and the legal provision which criminalised playing games of skill, including online games, and betting.
The top court issued notice to online gaming industry body All India Gaming Federation and skill-based gaming firms. It directed to tag this matter with a similar matter, where the Tamil Nadu government has challenged the judgment by the Madras High Court.
The Karnataka High Court had said that the Act was unconstitutional and there cannot be any ban on online games of skill. The state government contended before the apex court that the high court had grossly erred in not taking into account the material produced by it in connection with cases registered by the police authorities.
SEE ALSO:
Gautam Adani is $1 billion away from beating Jeff Bezos as the second richest person in the world
Tech Glitch: Man loses ₹11,677 crore windfall from demat account in hours
Next Story
I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
From terrace to table: 8 Edible plants you can grow in your home
India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report
New study forecasts high chance of record-breaking heat and humidity in India in the coming months
Gold plunges ₹1,450 to ₹72,200, silver prices dive by ₹2,300
Strong domestic demand supporting India's growth: Morgan Stanley
