BENGALURU:
The Karnataka High Court on Monday struck down some of the provisions of the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021, relating to the banning of online gaming, saying they were ultra vires to the Constitution.
In its judgment, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Krishna S Dixit dwelt on legal positions and said, ”in the above circumstances, these writ petitions succeed.”
”In the Karnataka Act of 2021 to the extent provisions we have said, not the entire act, are declared to be ultra vires to the Constitution and are struck down,” the bench added.
The consequences of the striking down of provisions shall follow, the bench said. It maintained that nothing in the judgment should be construed to prevent an appropriate legislation being brought about concerning the subject, ”that is betting and gambling in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution”.
The court also issued a writ of mandamus restraining the respondents from interfering in the online gaming and allied activities of the petitioners.
Responding to the court’s judgment, Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation, said India is the fifth largest online gaming market globally and skill-based gaming, a sunrise sector, is giving birth to an increasing number of unicorns within the country, especially Karnataka.
”The sector has been a strong financial contributor to the Indian economy even during an unprecedented period of slowdown and is further expected to generate revenues in excess of USD three billion by 2025,” Landers said.
