Kerala HC quashes govt. notice against Royal Bhutan Lottery

Kochi, Mar 30 (UNI) The Kerala High Court today quashed a show cause notice issued by the State Government to the agent of the Royal Bhutan Lottery here and directed the authorities to receive tax from the lottery agent Sree Balaji.

A Division Bench consisting of acting Chief Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice M N Krishnan held that the Royal Bhutan Lottery, organised and conducted by the Royal Government of Bhutan, was not covered by the Lottery Regulation Act, 1998, but only by a treaty entered into by the Bhutanese and Indian Governments, which had the force of law.

In case of any violation of the treaty or agreement between the Indian and the Bhutanese Government, it was for the Central Government to take action and not the officers functioning under the Kerala Tax on Paper Lottery Act.

The Division Bench order came on a Writ appeal filed by Sree Balaji against a single judge order, which had upheld the show- cause notice issued by the State Government to Sree Balaji on October 27, 2006, charging it with violating the provisions of the Lottery Regulation Act and section two of the Kerala Tax on Paper Lottery Act.

UNI