EX JUDGE K.CHANDRU HEADS COMMITTE: CM

Tamilnadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin has released an announcement that a committee has been formed to frame an ordinance regarding online rummy.
Stalin has stated in the announcement that with internet use on the rise, there is also a rise in people playing online rummy games.

The Tamilnadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act of 2021 was passed on February 25, 2021, by the previous government. A few companies petitioned the High Court seeking to abolish the ordinance. Examining the petition the sitting bench of the High Court on August 3, 2021, ordered that the ordinance has been passed without sufficient evidence and quashed the ordinance.

The Tamilnadu Government filed an appeal case in the Supreme Court against the High Court's judgment on November 11, 2021. The Supreme Court is yet to admit the case. Moreover, it is to be noted that the laws enacted by Kerala and Karnataka against online rummy were quashed by the respective High Courts.

In the meantime, an increased number of gamblers continue to commit suicide tragically after losing their money in online rummy games. In order to assess and report the extent of financial loss and suicides as a result of online rummy; to collect evidence/data on the impact of the online game, study the motivation/instigation for playing the game, its social repercussions and to regulate it in the right manner, the committee has been constituted with retired Madras High Court judge K.Chandru as the Chairman and Dr. Shankararaman, expert from Indian Institute of Technology, Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, Founder and Psychiatrist, Sneha and Vinith Dev Wankade, Additional Director General of Police as members.

On the basis of the report of the committee, a law will be passed soon taking into consideration the need to address the vital social problem. It will be a model law that other states could emulate, the Chief Minister's announcement mentions.