States can frame laws on gaming, online betting: Govt in Lok Sabha

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said betting and gambling are state subjects during a sharp exchange with DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran in Lok Sabha over the issue of banning online gaming sites. Asking a supplementary during Question Hour, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran asked whether the central government is “shying away” from its “moral responsibility” from taking steps against online gaming — which he added the Tamil Nadu government has banned. Maran asked how long the Union IT ministry will take to ban “all online sites”. IT Minister Vaishnaw hit back saying Maran has no right to question the moral authority of the central government, adding that the country functions as per the federal structure defined in the Constitution. @@@@ NCW welcomes SC stay on Allahabad HC’s controversial observations on rape charges The National Commission for Women (NCW) has welcomed the Supreme Court’s stay on controversial observations of the Allahabad High Court that “grabbing of a woman’s breasts and pulling drawstrings of her pyjama” do not attract attempt to rape charge. The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter, calling it “shocking”, and said the observations exhibited “total insensitiveness on the part of the judge”. The NCW said it has already submitted detailed grounds for contesting the HC ruling to the Ministry of Law and Justice and welcomed the Supreme Court’s order. NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has also discussed the matter with the Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and grounds to challenge it.