(1) Parliament bans all real-money games
The Rajya Sabha passed a Bill that banned the advertisement and operation of all games where money is used for betting, regardless of whether it was skill-based or chance-based, on Thursday (August 21, 2025). The Bill came after reports of suicides in the country of people who had taken huge loans for spending on real-money games.
The RMG segment’s contribution to employment and taxes in the country is notable within the broader gaming industry. An EY report forecast that the RMG segment will contribute between ₹6,500 to ₹8,500 crores in corporate tax and TDS between FY24 and FY28. Estimated GST contributions for the same years was between ₹75,000 to ₹76,000 crores. This is after the levy of 28% tax on RMGs. The revenue-split between RMG and non-RMG games also reveals the segment’s dominance.
While in previous High Court judgments, there was a distinction made between skill-based games (like Rummy) and chance-based games (like spinning wheels), the new Bill erases these distinctions. Critics say that the Bill does nothing to curb illegal betting games that operate through offshore entities to evade tax, and instead, only prevents legitimate real money games from being accessed by Indian gamers.
A report from Think Change Forum set out an estimated GST loss of over ₹2.29 lakh crores per annum between 2021 to 2024, with a 20% growth rate. Another survey from PRAHAR, taken in Telangana after a blanket ban was imposed on betting games in the State, shows that despite the ban, 86% of the respondents reported playing such games daily.
The survey also revealed that 94% wanted RMGs to be legalised in the State, and 50% reported ‘social acceptance’ as a motivating factor to play the game. Influencer endorsements was one of the methods that these platforms used to target potential gamers.
(2) Amit Shah tables Bill allowing removal of arrested CMs and PM
In three Bills tabled in the Parliament by Home Minister Amit Shah, the government introduced the removal of elected representatives arrested on serious criminal charges and held in custody without bail for more than 30 days. This includes the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Union, Union Territory and State Ministers. The authority to implement this removal is vested on the President, Governor and Lieutenant-Governors.
Following this Bill, the Association for Democratic Reforms released a report detailing the cases filed against active Chief Ministers of the country.
The report showed that Chief Ministers from the INC, DMK and TDP had both the most number of cases against them as well as the most number of serious IPC sections for serious cases.
The Opposition contended that the Bill could be used by the government to remove elected representatives after slapping false cases against them through institutions like the Enforcement Directorate. While the government batted for ‘political morality’ as the reason for the Bills, some opposition came from the accusation that the Bills were not discussed with the House members as per procedure.
(3) Parliament Monsoon Session ends with record ‘low productivity’
The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded on Thursday (August 21, 2025) with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die.
The session, which ran for the scheduled 21 days from July 21 to August 21, saw frequent disruptions that consumed nearly two-thirds of the allotted time. As a result, the Lok Sabha functioned for only 29% of its scheduled hours, while the Rajya Sabha managed 34%, marking the lowest productivity in the 18th Lok Sabha so far.
The Question Hour was hit the hardest, with the Lok Sabha completing only 23% and the Rajya Sabha just 6% of the scheduled time.
Several Bills were also passed without discussion amidst the disruption. The Friday sittings reserved for private members’ Bills and Resolutions were also skipped during this session.
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(4) At least 21 people are dead due to rain-related incidents in Maharashtra
Over 800 villages were affected and four lakh hectares of cropland were destroyed due to heavy rainfall in Maharashtra which also resulted in at least 21 people losing their lives. A 17-year-old youth lost his life in Mumbai’s Bhandup area after stepping on a fallen electricity cable amid heavy rains; meanwhile, one man died after being swept away in an overflowing stream following heavy rains in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region.
More than 1,100 people were moved to safer locations in Maharashtra’s Thane and Palghar after torrential rains disrupted normal life and inundated parts of the two adjoining districts.
Heavy rains lashed Mumbai and disrupted life with Mumbai’s Santacruz observatory, representative of the western suburbs, recording over 300mm of rainfall between August 18 and 20. Severe waterlogging, transport disruptions, and flight delays made lives of the citizens of Mumbai all the more difficult.
Chaos prevailed on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) evening after two separate incidents of Mumbai Monorail breakdowns left 782 passengers stranded mid-air, triggering massive rescue operations by the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), police and emergency services. All were rescued safely.
(5) SC allows release of strays from Delhi shelters
The Supreme Court on Friday (August 22, 2025) modified its earlier suo motu directive requiring civic authorities in Delhi and four adjoining districts to capture all stray dogs and confine them in shelters within six to eight weeks.
Editorial | Practising compassion: On the stray dogs issue, Court order
Terming its August 11, 2025, order “too harsh”, the court directed that the animals be released into the localities from which they were captured, after undergoing sterilisation, deworming, and immunisation.
A three-judge Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria noted that while the earlier mandate intended to protect citizens from attacks by “aggressive and rabid” canines, an absolute prohibition on their release would run contrary to Rule 11(19) of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
“The directions to the extent that they prohibit the release of the picked up strays, shall be kept in abeyance for the time being. The dogs that are picked up shall be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated, and released back to the same area from which they were picked up”, the Bench ordered.
However, the court clarified that this would not apply to dogs infected or suspected to be infected with rabies, or those displaying aggressive behaviour.
Published – August 26, 2025 03:23 pm IST