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Don't Allow Lottery: Guwahati High Court To Assam Govt

The Guwahati High Court on Thursday ordered the Assam government to direct its Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) not to allow any person to conduct online and offline lotteries. 

Hearing a PIL filed by Rupam Borbora, a division bench of Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice N Unni Krishnan Nair said that the government should issue necessary instructions to the officials of all the districts in this matter within a week. 

Justice Bishnoi said that the state government should instruct all DCs and SPs not to allow any person to conduct online and offline lotteries. 

He said that the District Commissioner and Superintendent of Police should take immediate action against those who are running online and offline lotteries. This order should be issued by the state government within a week. 

The High Court said that no response was filed on behalf of the state government on the PIL. While some districts have submitted separate affidavits. 

Justice Bishnoi said that the state government has to file its reply in the form of an affidavit on the PIL. It has to be told how the state government is dealing with illegal online and offline lotteries in Assam. The court gave six weeks time to the state government to file an affidavit on the PIL.

Amicus curiae HK Das told the court that in many cases organizations or individuals seek permission from the DC for online and offline lotteries and some DCs are giving permission without any authority. 

The Chief Justice said that the amicus curiae had requested that a strict injunction order should be passed by the court so that the poor people of the state are not cheated by illegal lotteries. 

Justice Bishnoi said that the lawyer has informed that he has received responses from 25 DCs. Who say that they have not given any such permission till date. No response has been filed by the state to oppose this PIL. 

Though some counter affidavits have been filed by the concerned DCs, they appear to have been impleaded as respondents