Delhi HC Reiterates Playing Rummy For Small Stakes is Not Illegal

Rummy in India
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  • PG News December 11, 2017
  • 2 Minutes Read

The Delhi High Court ruled out an appeal filed by former employee of the Central Secretariat Club, Suresh Kumar, on the grounds that playing rummy for small stakes at a club does not amount to gambling.

Kumar filed the appeal, challenging a trial court order directing him to pay ₹3 Lakhs to the Central Secretariat Club at New Delhi as damages for filing a false police complaint.

However, Justice Valmiki J Mehta recapitulated the law stated n the 1967 Supreme Court ruling of State of Andhra Pradesh v. K. Satyanarayana and ruled that playing the game of rummy for small stakes from a few annas to some rupees would not make it gambling.

Trial court, in my opinion, also has rightly held that merely because a card game of rummy was played in the club premises with small stakes from a few annas to some rupees would not make it gambling as held by the Supreme Court,” Justice Mehta said.

Stating the facts of the 1976 Supreme Court judgment, Justice Mehta in his order stated that rummy was not entirely a game of chance and that there was a predominant element of skill involved in the game of rummy.

In his complaint, Kumar, had mentioned that a “mafia” operated there and the club allowed gambling within its premises.The trial court had, however, stated that Kumar had failed to discharge the burden of proof on him.

The High Court agreed with the lower court’s observations and noted that Kumar was “frustrated” as the club had fired him over misconduct.

“I completely agree with the discussion, reasoning and conclusion of the trial court because the complaint filed by the appellant (Kumar) was on account of his frustration of having been removed from the services of the club and the allegations made by him were not bonafidely made…They were made either as a revenge or to pressurize the club to take the him back in service (along) with the fact that complaint was made after around two years of him being removed from the services with the club,” the court said.

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