The Merchants Club (Rgd) v. the State of Karnataka
Case brief
What is this about?
Recreation club; writ of prohibition; licence insistence; police interference with club activities; Karnataka Police Act 1963 Section 2(7) Explanation (II), Sections 2(14) and 2(15); games of chance; stakes, wagering and prize money; digital and online real-money gaming ban; CCTV surveillance and compliance conditions; member identity cards; fire and building safety conditions; Srimanth Ramchandrarao Appasaheb Club, Jamakhandi v. State of Karnataka, W.P.No.101799/2016 (GM-Police) dated 22.02.2016; High Court of Karnataka; WP No. 26137 of 2025 (GM-Police).
What did the court decide?
Writ petition disposed of: respondents and police directed not to insist on a licence for the recreation club and not to interfere with lawful recreational activities of bona fide members, subject to the petitioner's strict compliance with the mandatory conditions imposed (CCTV surveillance with footage preservation, tamper-proof member identity cards and membership register, absolute bar on entry of non-members/guests, prohibition on 'amusement' activities and games of chance under the Karnataka Police Act 1963, no stakes/wagering/prize money or house cut, ban on digital and online real-money gaming and digital payment channels for stakes, internal regulatory committee, fire/building/electrical safety, public health, emergency medical and noise safeguards), with police inspection and statutory enforcement powers expressly preserved; no order as to costs.