After unprecedented Assembly resolution, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi clears bill banning online gambling

The resolution urged the President to prescribe a specific time limit to the respective Governors to give assent to the Bills passed by the Legislatures.

What the new law says

According to sources from the state’s Law Department, as the bill has now become law after the assent of the Governor, efforts are being taken to publish it in the government gazette within a couple of days.

As per the Act, those who indulge in online gambling or online games of chance are liable for punishment of imprisonment of up to three months or a fine of ₹5,000 or both.

Further, if anyone makes or causes to make advertisement in any media on the banned games, they will be liable to be imprisoned for one year or slapped with ₹5 lakh as a fine or both.

For the game provider, the Act has stipulated punishment of imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of ₹10 lakh or both.

The ban will be imposed in the territory of Tamil Nadu and the internet service providers and mobile network providers will be intimated to restrict the service of the online gaming portals and apps inside Tamil Nadu.

Further, the implementation of the Act will be intimated to the Union government, which has the powers to control the telecom and internet service providers under the new IT Act of 2000, a source in the law ministry said.

Stalin vs Ravi

On Monday morning, while tabling a bill seeking the Union government and the President to prescribe a specific time limit to the respective Governors to give assent to the Bills passed by the state legislature, Chief Minister MK Stalin criticised Ravi on his silence in approving the readopted bill.

Stalin stated that even after this House had passed a bill against online gambling and in the circumstances where suicides are continuing, Ravi returned the bill and refused to answer questions.

On 6 April, the Governor’s remarks in a speech made during his interaction with civil service aspirants for the “Think to Dare” series at Raj Bhavan stirred a controversy.

He stated: “The Governor has three options: Give assent, withhold – meaning the bill is dead – which the Supreme Court and Constitution use as a decent language to mean reject, and third reserve the bill for the President. This is the Governor’s discretion.”

The DMK took exception to the Governor’s comment that a bill was “dead if withheld”.

In December last year, Ravi met the representatives of the online gaming firms at Raj Bhavan, where they raised concerns over the bill. The move was deemed unprecedented and inappropriate.

Following it, several ministers criticised the Governor for meeting the online gaming firms and Stalin also asked how many more lives the state Governor needed before he gave his assent to the legislation banning online gambling.

A recap of the Bill

The bill was readopted and passed unanimously in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on 23 March and was sent for the approval of the Governor, after he returned the first bill seeking clarifications.

While readopting the bill, Stalin, in the Assembly, said that after 131 days, Governor RN Ravi returned the Bill with suggestions for a few changes, and the queries raised by the Governor and the replies to them were approved by the Cabinet.

The Assembly passed the Bill on 19 October, 2022, based on the recommendations of the four-member committee — headed by retired Madras High Court judge K Chandru.

The 71-page report of the committee was submitted to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on 27 June.