CHANDIGARH: while hearing the petition filed in tha Punjab and Haryana High court regarding the alleged estimate lottery scam of Rs 900 crores happening every year in Punjab, the honorable court has issued a notice to the Punjab government to respond in this matter.
Advocate Bhanu Partap Singh who appeared for the petitioner Arunjot Singh Sodhi, told the court that many lottery distributers in Punjab have been violating the lottery regulation act by selling paper lottery through online mode for the past several years and defrauding the government and the people of Punjab but the lottery department of Punjab is keeping silent on this illegal sale.
After hearing the detailed information, considering the seriousness of this issue, honorable justice Jasjit Singh Bedi of Punjab and Haryana High court has issued a notice to the Punjab government to respond on this matter.
The petitioner mentioined that the Punjab government used to earn an estimated 200 crores through lottery in 2008-2009 , but due to the wrong policies of the state government, today this income reduced to only 35 crores while small state like Kerala are still earning 1740 crores annually and Goa 450 crores annually.
Adv Bhanu Partap Singh told the court that according to the law and the guidelines issued by the ministry of Home affairs , any state government can sell paper lottery and online computer lottery but both can't be combined ie. Paper lottery can not be sell by creating website, Facebook account or through WhatsApp. It can be sold through physically mode only.
But many lottery distributers in Punjab are buying paper lotteries of several states including Nagaland and Punjab from Future gaming company and selling them through websites, Facebook and WhatsApp, and suprising thing is that they are getting ticket price from the costumers through Google pay, paytm etc to their bank accounts and transferring the money to the future gaming company.
Advocate of the petitioner requested the court to register FIR against the owner of the future gaming company and all distributors who are selling illegal lottery and conduct the impartial investigation into the matter by a senior IPC officer, Those who cheat the people should be severely punished.