MP High Court Seeks State's Reply On PIL For Stringent Laws To Control Online Gambling, Fake Social Media Ads Targeting Youth

In a PIL concerning the issue of online gambling and its effect on youth, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notice to the State Government and directed them to file a response within a period of four weeks.A division bench of outgoing Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain observed, “Notice issued. Shri Amit Seth, Additional Advocate General accepts notice on behalf of the Respondent/State and seeks time to file reply. The reply be filed within four weeks.”The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition seeking direction to the State for taking necessary action for formulation of strict laws to control online gambling. The plea alleges that online gambling and false and fabricated advertisements on social media and other online communication sources mislead by luring them into schemes to earn money in a short span of time. Due to this, the youth of the State has been indulging and losing their money in online gambling.The plea states that it is the duty of the State government to safeguard the youth from online gambling. The plea further states that at present there is no strict rule in the state to prevent the people from the fraud and allurement in form of online gambling.As per the plea, the Government of India issued a notification under the Central Consumer Protection Act with regards to false and misleading advertisement but the State Government has not issued any such notification. Further, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India also issued an advisory for advertisements of online betting platforms but State has no such advisory.The plea alleges that online gambling platforms cause loss of livelihood and allure youth to participate in illegal activities. The plea states that some states have also formulated laws to regulate and control online gambling. However, the State of Madhya Pradesh has no effective law for the same.Case Title: Rajendra Prasad Gupta Vs The State Of Madhya Pradesh And Others, Writ Petition No. 4719 Of 2025Counsel for Petitioner: Advocate Rajendra Prasad GuptaCounsel for Respondent/State: Advocate General Amit SethClick Here To Read/Download Order

MP High Court Seeks State's Reply On PIL For Stringent Laws To Control Online Gambling, Fake Social Media Ads Targeting Youth

Anukriti Mishra

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