Governor’s delay in giving assent to ban online gambling has raised suspicion: DMK

Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Wednesday fired yet another salvo against Governor R N Ravi, this time for “delaying” his assent to a bill banning online gambling in the state, saying his actions have raised “suspicion” among people.

An editorial in Murasoli, DMK’s official organ, tore into the Governor for “sitting on” The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022 since October 28 and allowing an Ordinance passed in this regard to lapse. The bill was passed by the Assembly on October 19.

The DMK also sought to know whether the BJP, which questioned the government’s delay in bringing a legislation to ban online gambling, will now organise a protest against the Governor for the delay in signing the bill into a law.

“The delay by the Governor in giving his assent to the Bill has raised suspicion among people. The government sent an ordinance to the Governor on October 1, which he approved the same day. But the Bill which was sent to him on October 28 is still lying in his office. No explanation has been offered for the delay,” the editorial said.

Also Read | ‘Udhayanidhi in Stalin’s cabinet’ chorus grows louder

It said the Governor should have understood the “necessity” of signing the bill into a law at least after he came under attack from several political parties. The editorial noted that the state government sent replies within 24 hours to the queries raised by the Governor on the Bill.

“It looks like the queries raised by him were just an excuse to delay his assent. They aren’t genuine queries. The intention seems to delay the assent,” the editorial added. In a related development, Law Minister S Ragupathy will meet the Governor on Thursday morning regarding the bill.

The non-assent for the bill which bans online gambling and regulates online games in Tamil Nadu is the latest source of friction between the Governor and the DMK government, which has been locked in an intense battle with Ravi over several issues.

The editorial also criticised Ravi for his comments on the Coimbatore LPG blast and sought to know why he didn’t raise questions against the Karnataka Government which took six days to transfer the Mangaluru auto blast to NIA.

“The governor stoked a controversy by accusing the state government of delay in handing over the Coimbatore case to NIA. The DMK government handed over in just three days and it was the state police which nabbed the accused and collected crucial evidence. Still, he chose to criticise,” the editorial said, and asked why he was silent on the Mangaluru blast.

“Because his intention to find fault with the DMK government on a daily basis,” the editorial added, the ordinance was brought in after the state witnessed over two dozen suicides by people who lost money in online gambling.

The bill, which was drafted following suggestions from a committee headed by Justice (retired) K Chandru, says said no online games provider shall provide online gambling service or allow playing of any online game of chance specified with money or other stakes or playing of any other online game in contravention of the regulations, in any form.

This is the second time that Tamil Nadu is acting against online rummy – the AIADMK government had in 2021 imposed a ban through a law which was struck down by the Madras High Court on the grounds that the legislation was drafted without enough proof and reasons.