HC takes up PIL against online opinion trading platforms, seeks govt response

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice to the Union of India in response to a PIL seeking “immediate and appropriate action” to restrain all online opinion trading platforms, mobile applications, websites, and digital mediums from advertising, promoting or marketing betting and wagering activities. The bench, among other things, was told that this was in violation of the Public Gambling Act and other laws.

As the matter came up for preliminary hearing, the bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel issued notice to the Central Government, Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Enforcement Directorate and Haryana Government among others.

In her petition, advocate Anuj Malik – through senior advocate and Punjab’s former advocate-general Atul Nanda with counsel Rameeza Hakim – also sought action against the alleged “continued and unchecked operation of certain online platforms that under the guise of opinion trading”.

Nanda added that these platforms permitted the users to bet/wager on the outcome of uncertain and speculative events such as cricket wins and losses, election results, bitcoin market movements and current affairs which were nothing but games of chance.

The petitioner contended that the same was violation of the Public Gambling Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Section 112), and state-specific legislations including the Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Act, 2025 and Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021 (as amended in 2023), which laid down express obligations to restrict such content and platforms.

“Over 75 betting and gambling websites target people in India and many of them keep running even though they are banned by law. To attract more users, these platforms use Bollywood stars and sports players as their brand ambassadors,” it was added. The matter will now come up on May 20 for further consideration.