Feature
SC to pass orders on plea against interim bail to ex-UP minister in gang rape case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it will pass an order on Thursday on the plea of the Uttar Pradesh government against two-month interim bail granted to a former state minister accused of gangrape. The bail was granted to ex-minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati on medical grounds by the Allahabad High Court.
A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah reserved the verdict in the matter. Additional Solicitor General A.S.V. Raju, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, read out the medical report of Prajapati before the bench.
He said: “This medical certificate is of an earlier date (citing the need for treatment in a super speciality hospital).” Raju submitted that the medical board which was constituted later stated that he can be treated in jail. He urged the top court to look at the serious charges against Prajapati before granting him any relief. Raju added that Prajapati has been in jail for seven months and his condition is stable.
The bench replied, “What happened to his regular bail?” Raju replied it is still pending and no treatment for him requires hospitalisation. Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, representing Prajapati, submitted his client’s regular bail has not been decided for three years and the High Court refrained from taking any decision on it.
The bench noted that the alleged offender seems to have a political background. Dhavan argued that bail and not jail is the rule and threat to a person’s health should be taken into consideration. Dhavan insisted that eight reports show his illness and the overall health aspect has to be considered.
The bench queried, “What are the health issues?” Dhavan replied the man is really sick and he has respiratory problem, kidney issues etc.
Prajapati was a minister in the erstwhile Samajwadi Party government, and along with others, he has been accused of gangraping a woman and attempting to molest her minor daughter.
The bench said it will pronounce its verdict on October 15.
On September 21, the Supreme Court had stayed the Allahabad High Court order granting interim bail for two months.
A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah had said: “Issue notice. In the meantime, the operation of the impugned order dated September 3, 2020, passed by the High Court shall remain stayed.”
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had granted the interim bail to Prajapati, a minister in the erstwhile Samajwadi Party government, despite this bail, he continued to remain in judicial custody as a fresh case of fraud, forgery and criminal intimidation was also lodged against him.
In the appeal, the state government had contended that the High Court has erroneously granted a short-term bail of two months to the accused in a POCSO case solely on medical grounds. The state government argued that the High Court did not note that he was throughout being treated in premier national medical institutes KGMC/SG-PGI, and the regular hearing of the bail is scheduled for hearing September 28.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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