Andhra Pradesh High Court - Amravati
The Inkollu Officers Club, vs The State Of Andhra Pradesh, on 11 September, 2025
APHC010431652025
IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH
AT AMARAVATI [3396]
(Special Original Jurisdiction)
THURSDAY, THE ELEVENTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER
TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE
PRESENT
THE HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE VENKATA JYOTHIRMAI PRATAPA
WRIT PETITION NO: 22521/2025
Between:
1. THE INKOLLU OFFICERS CLUB,, REGISTRATION NO.32/2024 (OLD
NAME THE OFFICERS CLUB REGISTRATION NO.23/1982),
SITUATED AT INKOLLU, REP. BY ITS PRESIDENT KARI AMMAIAH,
S/O VENKATESWARULU, AGE 66 YEARS, R/O D.NO.2-260/1,
KRISHNA NAGAR, INKOLLU, BAPATIA DISTRICT.
...PETITIONER
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REP. BY ITS PRINCIPAL
SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOME, SECRETARIAT
BUILDINGS, VELAGAPUDI, AMARAVATI.
2. THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, AP POLICE HEAD
QUARTERS, MANGALAGIRI GUNTUR DISTRICT.
3. THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, BAPATLA DISTRICT,
BAPATLA.
4. THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, CHIRALA, BAPATLA
DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH.
5. THE STATION HOUSE OFFICER/ INSPECTOR OF POLICE, INKOLLU
PS, BAPATLA DISTRICT.
...RESPONDENT(S):
Counsel for the Petitioner:
1. V V LAKSHMI NARAYANA
Counsel for the Respondent(S):
1. GP FOR HOME
The Court made the following:
ORDER:
This Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of Constitution of India with the following prayer for:
"....to issue any writ, order or direction more particularly one in the nature of WRIT OF MANDAMUS declaring the action of the respondents in interfering with lawful activities of the petitioner Club including playing of rummy game of 13 cards which is not a game of chance and also insisting to close down the playing card rooms to play the game of rummy (13 cards), as being 2 arbitrary, illegal, unjust, discriminatory, violative of Article 14, 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India, and also contrary to the judgements of the Honble Supreme Court of India and consequently direct the respondents not to interfere with the lawful activities of the petitioner club including playing of rummy game of 13 cards which is not a game of chance and including not to insist to close down the card room to play the rummy/13 card game."
2. Heard Sri V.V.Lakshmi Narayana, learned counsel for the petitioner and Sri Md.Farooq, learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home.
3. Learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home, on written instructions, would submit that based on reliable information regarding the illegal sale of liquor on the club premises, the police visited the club for inspection purposes; however, except for this, the police have not visited the said club.
4. For ready reference, the written instructions are extracted hereunder:
"Further it is inform before the Hon'ble Court that, there is a restaurant has been running in the premises of club in the name and style of KALYANI RESTAURANT. In that restaurant, drunkards often creates nuisance at that club premises, on that some criminal and nuisance cases have been registered against the brats in the past. Further, some reliable information also emerged that selling liquor illegally from that restaurant. For these reasons, as part of maintaining law and order, the police, beat staff keep checking the restaurant, and whenever there is information about the presence of liquor, the police visit that restaurant on the purpose of check the restaurant to verify the information received. Further, it is submitting that, if any liquor bottles are found, suitable criminal cases are registered against them, and beyond that, there is no record of the police ever visiting that said officer club yet."
5. Recording the said submissions, the Writ Petition is disposed of. There shall be no order as to costs.
3
As a sequel thereto, miscellaneous petitions, if any, pending shall stand closed.
________________________________________ Dr.JUSTICE VENKATA JYOTHIRMAI PRATAPA Date:11.09.2025 ASR 4 HON'BLE DR. JUSTICE VENKATA JYOTHIRMAI PRATAPA W.P.No.22521 of 2025 Dt.11.09.2025 Asr