Tamil Nadu Cabinet approves ordinance to ban online gambling games

DMK spokesperson V Kannadasan, welcoming the move, told South First that the party, by doing so, had once again proved that it was the social justice party.

This is the second time that the Tamil Nadu government has moved to make a law banning online gambling. The last bill banning online games was struck down by the Madras High Court.

Ordinance approved after spate of deaths

According to sources, Monday’s Cabinet meeting, which lasted almost 45 minutes, discussed the impact of games like online rummy, which is said to have driven several people to suicide in the state. The Cabinet discussed steps to curb online rummy and other such games.

While the Cabinet approved the ordinance on Monday, it will come into effect only after getting the assent of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi.

The Justice (retired) Chandru-led committee submitting its report on adverse effects of online gambling games to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. (Supplied)

The Justice Chandru Committee submitted its report to the chief minister on 27 June, and it was placed before the Cabinet the same day.

In a statement, the government said that on the basis of the survey conducted by the School Education Department regarding the impact of online games on school students, the comments received from the general public through email and the consultation meetings held with the stakeholders, a draft ordinance was prepared with the advice of the legal department and approved in the Cabinet meeting held on 29 August.

Further, the statement read that the government would promulgate the order after getting assent from the Governor.

The state government would then promulgate a law to ban online gambling in the upcoming Assembly session to replace the ordinance.

Other key discussions in the Cabinet

Besides online gambling, the Cabinet discussed retired Justice Arumugasamy’s report on the death of the former chief minister and the AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa. The DMK government had earlier announced that it would table the report in the Assembly session.

The 100th day of anti-Sterlite protest turned violent. Miscreants indulged in arson and vandalism. (Supplied)

The Cabinet also discussed the report of the Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission on the Tuticorin anti-Sterlite protest firing, in which the state police killed 13 protesters.

The 3,000-page report, which was submitted to the government on 18 May, is also likely to be tabled in the upcoming Assembly session.

Recently, the magazine Frontline reported that Jagadeesan had indicted several senior police officers and bureaucrats for the “dastardly act”.

No discussions on the law and order situation

Stalin continued his stoic silence, on the continuing Molotov cocktail attacks against BJP and RSS functionaries, art the Cabinet meeting.

The attacks began in the aftermath of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids on leaders and of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), in the state on 22 September.

The Cabinet meeting assumes significance as it comes days before the Tamil Nadu Assembly session slated for the second week of October.

Stalin, who was quite vociferous and regular in issuing statements about the deteriorating law and order when he was the Opposition leader, has as chief minister neither condemned those disturbing public peace nor issued a statement.

A few DMK ministers, when approached by South First, refused to comment on it.

Chief secretary’s meeting

Even Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu’s meeting with the state police and district administration officers came on 24 September, after two days of Molotov cocktails being thrown at people and property in different parts of the state, especially Coimbatore.

The state police have so far arrested as many as 15 people across Tamil Nadu for their alleged involvement in the attacks.

However, Stalin, who also holds the Home portfolio, did not discuss the state’s law and order situation in Monday’s Cabinet meeting, sources told South First, even as Governor RN Ravi flew to Delhi, ostensibly to brief Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation in the state.

Cabinet meeting ‘an eyewash’

The principal Opposition party, the AIADMK, termed Monday’s Cabinet meeting an eyewash.

Kovai Sathyan, the party’s spokesperson, told South First that the DMK stood exposed because of its mistakes, and asked how many lives have to be lost for the DMK to wake up and pass a law to ban online gaming.

“Would any sensible leader under the sun ask for public opinion?” he asked, while taking the DMK government to task for not banning online rummy immediately after the panel submitted its report.

On the law and order situation, he said the DMK lacked the courage to talk about the issue as the common people had lost faith in the government.