The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Sunday said that it had issued blocking orders against 22 “illegal betting apps and websites”, including Mahadev Book Online and Reddyannaprestopro at the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) request.
As per the union government, “The action follows investigations conducted by the ED against an illegal betting app syndicate and subsequent raids on Mahadev Book in Chhattisgarh, revealing the app’s unlawful operations.”
In a recent interview with TOI, Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel had questioned the government on why they are not issuing a ban on Mahadev app. Later, on Friday, the ED is probing an allegation that the promoters of the Mahadev app had facilitated an INR 508 crore payment to “one politician ‘Baghel’,” an apparent reference to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar took a broadside against the Chhattisgarh government, accusing it for not acting on the app. “Chhattisgarh Government had all the power to recommend shutting down of the website/app under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act,” Mr. Chandrasekhar said in a press statement.
According to the minister, “However, they did not do so, and no such request was made by the State government while they have been investigating it for the last 1.5 years.”
Regarding the updates on this app ban, Bhim Singh Yadav, a constable in the Chhattisgarh Police, and one Asim Das are currently in custody for these charges, arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly money laundering.
