K'taka HC stays lottery ban

Bangalore, Apr 17 (UNI) In a blow to the Karnataka Government's decision to make the State a lottery-free zone, the High Court today stayed operation of the notification issued by the State Government, prohibiting sale and distribution of lottery tickets as paper, online and internet tickets.

Mr Justice Abdul Nazeer granted the interim injunction on two writ petitions, filed by the State of Arunachal Pradesh and others challenging the March 27 notification issued under section 5 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998. The petitioners had cited the Union of India and the Karnataka Government as respondents.

Arunachal Pradesh, in its petition, submitted that it was a small State which earned revenue mainly by conducting lotteries as per the Act. It had, through its distributors, set up infrastructure in Karnataka in the form of direct and indirect employees, operators, agents and vendors. The impugned action was arbitrary, illegal, incapable of implementation and violative of the Constitutional provisions and the fundamental rights of the lottery vendors to carry on business was violated, it contended.

Following repeated pleas from the womenfolk, the State Government had decided to ban the sale of lotteries and it was announced in the State budget for the year that the ban would come into effect from April one. The ban, while bringing cheers to the womenfolk who had been suffering due to the lottery addiction of their men, rendered lakh of people employed in the lottery business jobless.

UNI