Zoe Sharp
This Monday, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi gave his approval to a bill, seeking to ban online gambling in the Indian state after it was passed unanimously by the state Assembly. The news came on the same day when Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a specific timeframe for State Governors to approve bills passed by the respective Houses. The resolution also urged the President and the Centre to convince the Governor to approve the bills passed by the Assembly in a timely manner.
The Proposed Resolution to Eliminate Undue Delays
The government’s decision to propose a resolution seeking to introduce a timeframe for Governors to approve bills was prompted by several legislations, including those aiming to ban online gambling in Tamil Nadu. The said bills are currently pending with the Raj Bhavan for the Governor’s approval.
During the debate on the resolution, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.K. Stalin accused the Governor of not approving certain bills due to his caprice. Stalin also claimed that Ravi was working against the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu by keeping the bills pending.
The resolution seeks to address a longstanding issue that has been a cause of concern for many states. Governors are appointed by the President as representatives of the Centre in the states. They can withhold their assent to a bill passed by the State Legislature. However, Governors are also not obliged to comply with a specific timeframe to approve or reject a bill. This leads to delays in the implementation of legislation and conflicts between the Centre and the states.
Tamil Nadu Wants Online Gambling to Be Banned
Justice K. Chandru, the head of the committee responsible for online gaming in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has called for a complete ban on the activity. He explained that regulation is not an effective solution. Late in March, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly re-adopted the Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022, moved by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin after Mr. Ravi returned it on March 6, explaining that it was against the judgments of courts. Today, Ravi finally gave his consent to the bill.
Several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Telangana, have tried to ban online gaming by introducing their own legislation. But according to a government official from an unnamed state, the central government is not allowed to create laws on subjects that belong to individual states. However, the Minister for Home Affairs of Karnataka, Araga Jnanendra, welcomed the new regulations and announced that the state would always stand behind initiatives that work in favor of the public.