PANAJI: The Bombay High Court in Goa rejected the petition submitted by a law student who challenged legal provisions that made it a violation for non-tourists to take part in gambling activities at the casino in Goa.
The Petitioner, Shukr Usgaonkar, told the court that he wanted to visit the casino, which has now begun to function after a long break because of Covid, but it is prohibited from doing it because of the 13G part of the Gaming Gua Law, which prohibits the entry of anyone other than tourists or tourist holders.
He stated that the provision was contrary to Article 13 (2) the constitution, which prohibits the country to make any law that violates fundamental rights.
He argued that the country did this when, through the Public Gambling Law Goa (amendment), 2012, he forbade access to places authorized under the part 13a.
“The difference made between tourists and non-tourists is very failed in a reasonable classification exam that must be fulfilled by any classification to hold back the hard time article 14 as referred to by the Supreme Court,” the Petitioner said in his request.
“Differences that are understood between tourists and non-tourists do not have a rational Nexus for objects that try to be achieved, as far as the Law Mending contains not so many of the whispers of objects to be achieved by making the classification,” he added.
He submitted a writing petition looking for part 2 (7), 2 (8), 13D (E), 13G (1), and 13G (2) of the gambling law and the appropriate provisions of the 2012 amendments under the Ultra Indian constitution.
According to that action, ‘tourists’ are someone or group of people above 21 but not domiciled or live permanently in Goa.
This term includes pilgrims and those who hold valid tourism permits are issued under the law.