The District Magistrate of Kokrajhar, Masanda M. Pertin, has issued a formal order banning the conduct of any such lotteries inside the district, in response to the Gauhati High Court’s decisions addressing the illegal organization of both offline and online lotteries in Assam. The order comes in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that was brought before the Gauhati High Court, highlighting issues with unlicensed lottery operations in several of the state’s districts. In response to the PIL, the State Government was ordered by the Court to make sure that no District Commissioner or Superintendent of Police grants authorization to organize lottery events, online or offline, and to take prompt legal action against anyone who is discovered to be in violation of this order.
By the authority granted by u/s 163 BNSS, the District Magistrate of Kokrajhar has enforced a ban on the organization of any kind of lottery in Kokrajhar district, following the directives of the Home and Political Department of the Government of Assam. This directive is in effect right now and won’t change unless new instructions are given. Legal action under applicable provisions will be taken against violators of this order. All people and organizations were asked by the District Magistrate to strictly abide by the directive and abstain from any unlawful lottery operations.