Maharashtra cabinet decides to scrap law; no casinos in future
The state cabinet on Friday decided to repeal the 45-year-old Maharashtra Casinos (Control and Tax) Act, 1976, announcing that the state will not have casinos in future.
The home department headed by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis moved the proposal to repeal the said Act. “The Act has been in effect from 1976, but has not been implemented till now. But since the Act was in place, the interested parties were approaching the courts seeking permissions to set up casinos in the state,” an official from the home department said.
During his tenure as Chief Minister, Fadnavis, according to the official, had taken a position in 2016 not to allow casinos in the state. He made similar remarks on a file related to setting up of the casino in January this year.
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According to sources, a meeting was planned during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to consult on the proposals for setting up casinos in Maharashtra. The move, however, was cut short after the fall of the government.
“Since the Act has been in effect for 45 years, it was discussed at the senior bureaucratic level about its implementation. Based on the discussions, it was decided that it should not be applied in the state and following that the proposal to repeal it was taken in today’s cabinet meeting,” said the official.
Following the cabinet decision to repeal the Act, a bill for the same will be brought in the state legislature.
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