Odisha drops jail term for gambling after passage of Jan Vishwas Bill

Under the earlier framework, offenders faced a mandatory fine of Rs 100 along with a month in jail, with harsher cases attracting up to six months’ imprisonment and fines running into several thousand rupees. The amended law now allows individuals caught gambling to walk free by paying Rs 5,000 for basic violations and up to Rs 75,000 for serious categories of the offence—effectively removing incarceration from the statute.

The decision triggered sharp criticism from Opposition benches. Athagarh BJD legislator Ranendra Pratap Swain launched a scathing attack, alleging that the move “amounts to nationalising gambling.”

Warning that gambling could now spread “like a skin infection,” Swain questioned the timing of the reform, noting that the Union government is tightening norms on online gaming while the state appears to be easing restrictions on physical gambling.

“The government at the Centre is saying one thing, and their left hand at the state is saying another. Our predecessors enacted laws to curb gambling through jail terms. Now anyone can indulge in gambling and simply pay a fine to walk away,” Swain said.

The state government, however, maintained that the amendment is part of a broader effort to modernise archaic legal provisions, reduce unnecessary incarceration, and streamline minor offences to ease the burden on courts and citizens. Officials argue that replacing short-term jail sentences with higher financial penalties is a more effective deterrent and aligns with national efforts to rationalise criminal laws.

Bhatli BJP MLA Irasis Acharya dismissed the criticism as politically motivated. “Opposition parties are trying to mislead the people of Odisha. They failed to bring these long-overdue reforms. When we take steps to prevent people from resorting to unfair means and distractions, they choose to distort the facts instead,” he said.