Karnataka
High Court Hearing on Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) Petition
Interim
Order Expected on June 18
The
Karnataka High Court has concluded hearing arguments on the interim prayer in
the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) petition and will pass an interim order on June
18 afternoon.
Arguments
Presented
- The
Advocate General (AG) argued that the court should not allow BTC to conduct
racing, citing legal points and Supreme Court judgments. The AG contended that
even if there are lacunae in the rejection order, the court should send it back
to the government for reconsideration.
- The BTC
counsel argued that the discretion to grant a license must be exercised
properly and cannot be denied solely based on a charge sheet being filed and an
ongoing investigation.
- The court
questioned the AG about the vicarious responsibility of BTC in criminal
charges, as only two BTC individuals are accused in the CCB charge sheet along
with bookmakers.
- The court
also asked about the conditions it could impose if it were to allow racing and
betting at BTC as an interim measure, and the BTC counsel suggested that
conditions could be imposed as per the laws governing horse racing.
Court's
Observations
- The court
expressed displeasure with the AG's remarks during an earlier hearing in
response to certain questions posed by the court.
Next Steps
- The court
will pass an interim order on June 18 afternoon, which may potentially allow or
reject BTC's request to conduct racing and betting.
It is anticipated/widely expected that the
order will be in favour of HORSE RACING.
