CHENNAI: In a significant judgment having far reaching consequences, the Madras High Court has ruled that playing Rummy (13 cards) with stakes (money), is impermissible in clubs.“Playing of cards with stakes has two evils, ie, it corrupts the mind of the players to become addict and it makes most of the players bankrupt,” a division bench comprising Justices D Murugesan and PPS Janarthana Raja noted and gave the ruling on Thursday while disposing of a writ appeal from the DGP, City Police Commissioner and their subordinate officers, challenging an order dated November 4 last year of a single judge.Holding that Rummy was a game of skill and that the police could not treat it as an illegal activity, the single judge had disposed of a writ petition from Mahalakshmi Cultural Association on North Boag Road in T Nagar, in November, 2011. Aggrieved, the DGP and CoP preferred the present appeal. During the raid conducted in August last year, the T Nagar police found 56 persons playing Rummy and recovered `6.95 lakh from them.Disposing of the same, the bench observed that the game Rummy was only a game of skill even though an element of ‘chance’ was also involved. In the event it was played by without stakes, the provisions of the Chennai City Police Act would not attract. In the event the game was played with stakes, the provisions of the Act would get attracted. If the club/association either allowed its members or guests to play Rummy with stakes or make any profit, the police would have the authority to invoke the provisions of the Police Act. To ascertain as to whether the premises was used as a gaming house for gambling, the police was entitled to invoke Section 23 of the Act. Coming to the case on hand, the judges said that the association should not indulge in any activity by allowing its members or guest to play Rummy with stakes and make profit or gain. The T Nagar police were entitled to take action in the event any illegal activity was carried out on the association premises. As regards the FIR registered by the police against 56 persons and others, who were said to have indulged in illegal gambling acvitity as per the raid conducted on August 10 last year, it was open to the police to proceed further as per law and it was for the association, its members and their guests to defend the same in the manner known to law as the criminal action was initiated after a valid raid.
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