Gujarat HC Defers Poker Matter to 17th February

The Gujarat High Court once again deferred the hearings of letters patent appeals filed against a single judge bench’s order ruling poker to be a game of chance.

A division bench of the High Court comprising of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice AJ Shastri did not hear the appeals that were scheduled for arguments on 8th January, 2020. The court instead adjourned the matter to 17th February, 2020 and observed that daily hearings would be conducted from that date to expedite hearings in the matter.

Letters patent appeals filed by Indian Poker Association Secretary KN Suresh, Dominance Games Private Limited, Aman Chhabra and Hotel Ramada, Ahmedabad against a December 2017 single judge bench’s order ruling poker to be a game of chance have been pending for over two years now and have seen 22 adjournments till date.

With the court deciding to expedite hearings in the matter from February 2020 onwards, the possibility of getting a conclusive verdict on the legality of poker has increased. The high stakes matter would have implications on the skill games industry within the state of Gujarat and also have wider ramifications for the industry across the country.