The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to take a decision within reasonable time on implementation of law that makes it legal to run casinos in on disposing the PIL seeking implementation of Maharashtra Casinos (Control and Tax) Act filed by Jay sayta, Final year student of NUJS Kolkata in the case of JAY N. SAYTA v. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA…..PIL no. 2015.
Satya found out through the Right to Information (RTI) that the Act had received the Governor’s assent on July 22, 1976. In December last year, he wrote a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting him to notify it but there was no response.
The 22-year-old law student, through his PIL, informed the court that though the state Legislative Assembly had passed the Act, which was first published in the Maharashtra Government Gazette on July 22, 1976, the same was never notified by the government till date. further alleged that the government of Maharashtra has “arbitrarily and unreasonably” kept in abeyance the Act by not notifying it.
The Act provides for licensing of casinos, permitting certain types of casino games, taxation of the money paid or agreed to be paid by the participants by way of stakes or bets, etc.
The High court today said it was the executive’s decision on when and whether to implement the Act but asked the government to take its decision within reasonable time.
court has asked the State what is its decision and noted that at the previous hearing on March 17 the court had directed the State government to decide within four weeks. The bench granted the government further one month to inform it of its decision
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