As Online Gambling Addiction Turns ‘Life-threatening’ in Tamil Nadu, Stalin Vows to End Venture; Here's What Law Says
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Investigation revealed that Manikandan was addicted to online gambling and lost money in lakhs. (Image: Shutterstock)
In 2020, Edappadi Palaniswami had said the state government would ban online rummy and bring in legal changes to arrest its organisers and players.
The New Year started on a grim note in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai where a family of four — including a 35-year-old woman and two children — was found dead inside their house in the Perungudi area.
The 36-year-old bank employee, Manikandan, was found hanging dead in the kitchen and the children — an 11-year-old and one-year-old – were next to their mother.
Investigation revealed that Manikandan was addicted to online gambling and lost money in lakhs, which led to quarrels between him and his wife. In a fit of rage, he hit his wife with a cricket bat and killed her and also allegedly strangled his two kids before hanging himself.
In a similar incident, on January 3, a couple was arrested for staging drama after looting Rs 1.32 lakh from Thiruvanmiyur MRTS railway station ticket counter in Chennai.
An investigation revealed that the railway booking clerk who was indebted to online gambling robbed the money himself along with his wife in the incident where a drama was initially staged claiming that the money was looted at gunpoint from him in the early hours.
In both the incidents, people in question were addicted to online gambling, were in a good job and highly-paid.
During the AIADMK rule in November 2020, the ex-chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami had said the state government would ban online rummy and bring in legal changes to arrest its organisers and players, after a dozen died by suicide across the state due to debt from online gambling.
Specifically, in Coimbatore, two men aged 28 and 32 died by suicide within two days in a week in November 2020. Later, parties like DMK alleged that it was AIADMK’s political stunt to bring the ban and not properly implement it.
In August 2021, after the Stalin-led DMK government came to power, the Tamil Nadu government’s amendment of Gaming Act was struck down by the Madras High Court. The court delivered its verdict enabling petitions from a slew of companies challenging the amendment by the Tamil Nadu government to ban online games.
The court observed that such a ban will be unconstitutional and will be a violation of Article 19(1) (g) of the Constitution of India which is right to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business. However, the state opposed the plea and pointed out that the youngsters are betting huge sums of money on online real money games.
Apparently, during December 2021, the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court’s order that struck down the Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act of 2021 that banned playing of online games such as rummy.
However, the high court had said that there was nothing to prevent the State from enacting a new law to regulate these games. Seeking restoration of the ban, the state government in its appeal told the Supreme Court that the High Court erred in declaring that the state government lacked legislative competence to adopt the 2021 Amendment Act.
Speaking to News18, DMK’s Saravanan Annadurai, who is also an advocate said, “Earlier, the AIADMK brought a law against online rummy. However, due to legal issues, the court went against the law and quashed it. As it was appealed, the case is currently pending in the Supreme Court.”
Chief Minister MK Stalin has promised to implement whatever legislation is necessary for banning the online real money games. The state government has been consulting with legal experts on how online rummy can be eliminated.
“What stands in the way of this is that ‘rummy is a game and it is no way a gambling’- this was an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court. Therefore, serious consultation is taking place on how to overcome this and restore the lives of the common people and the lives of the youth. Of course, the Tamil Nadu government will come up with a better solution. Even though the state has the power to make policy decisions, it is bound by the Constitution. The Supreme Court only has the power to intervene in that. So that is the big obstacle for us. By dispelling the problems involved, a good decision will be made soon, no doubt about it,” Annadurai said.
He pointed out that the Tamil Nadu government has the right to ban online gambling. “But the companies will immediately move the court and get a restraining order. Subsequently, the Centre won’t bring the ban only to Tamil Nadu, if we make a demand to them. Thus, in particular, banning ads like online rummy is the current minimum requirement. The authorities are also holding discussions about that. The issue will definitely come to an end as it is in the focus of the Chief Minister.”
Recently, EPS slammed TN government for failing to defend law against online real money games. Political parties like PMK also demanded that the government soon ban the online gambling in the state.
On January 6, the Chief Minister MK Stalin in Assembly said that the Tamil Nadu government will soon put an end to online gambling.
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