PIL Against Gambling: Bombay HC Invokes Biblical View, Says Sometimes Devil Wins In Fight With Man's Conscience [Read Order]

Disposing of a PIL against gambling and police inaction in registering FIRs, the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court invoked the biblical concept of fight between man's conscience and the devil to show that gambling was a social problem whose solution was in enlightening the conscience of the society while also emphasising on law enforcement the need for police to maintain vigil.

To drive home the point that gambling was a social problem, the bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice R G Avachat invoked, though briefly, the biblical view of man's conscience and the devil and how at times, in fight between conscience and the Devil, devil wins.

The bench was hearing a PIL moved by Baliram after he came across newspaper reports about widespread gambling in Marathwada area.

Baliram's counsel Panditrao S Anerao and Ajaykumar Waghmare had sought directions to the police to register FIR against anyone indulging in gambling while asserting that the police were hand-in-glove with those carrying on illegal activity of gambling as they get a share in the pie.

While directing the police to maintain vigil, the bench said, "Now, as the story tells us when God created the Universe, with all the creatures, big and small, he created man and the mistake of creating the Devil. When the Angel learnt that the Devil had been created, he asked God where he will keep the Devil who would continue to trouble God. God replied: he has given consciousness to the man and he will put the Devil in the man. The conscious of the man would suppress the Devil (sic). Unfortunately, in the fight between Devil and the conscious, sometimes the Devil wins".

"We worship our rivers and water bodies as our mother, but do not hesitate to pollute our rivers and our water bodies: Our mother. Societies have always shown contradictory behaviour.

"The instant problem is a social problem. Solutions have to be found by enlightening the members of the society. Social Organizations have to step in and enlighten the conscious of the society," said the court.

It also emphasised that "law has to be enforced" and directed the police authorities "to maintain a vigil and if complaints naming individuals are received, action be taken against the said persons if the complaint is with proof".

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[Read Order]