Guwahati, Oct 3 (PTI) The Gauhati High Court on Thursday directed the Assam government to instruct all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police not to grant permission to any person for organising online or offline lotteries.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by Rupam Borborah, a division bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice N Unni Krishnan Nair asked the government to issue necessary orders to all the districts within one week.
“The state govt shall issue directions to all the DCs and SPs not to grant any permission to any individual for organising online or offline lotteries,” Bishnoi told the advocate representing the respondents.
The district commissioners and the superintendents of police shall take immediate action against those persons who are organising online or offline lotteries illegally, he added.
“The said direction is required to be issued by the state government within a period of one week,” Bishnoi said.
The high court also noted that the state government has not filed any response to the PIL although a few districts have separately submitted some affidavits.
“We are of the view that the state government is required to file its response as a counter affidavit to this PIL petition that how the state government is proceeding to tackle the organisation of illegal online and offline lotteries in Assam,” Bishnoi said.
The court granted six weeks to the state government to file an affidavit to the PIL.
Earlier, amicus curiae H K DAS told the court that in many of the cases, the organisations or persons seek permission from the DCs for online and offline lotteries, and some DCs are granting permission without any authority.
The chief justice noted the amicus curiae requested that a strict prohibitory order should be passed by the court so that the poor people of the state may not be duped by the illegal lotteries.
“The respondent advocate said that he received responses from 25 DCs, who said no such permission has been granted till date. No response has been filed by the state to counter this PIL though some counter affidavits have been filed by concerned DCs who have been implicated as respondents,” Bishnoi stated. PTI TR BDC
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