ORDER :

Since the common grievance of the petitioners herein in these writ petitions is the alleged interference of the respondent police authorities with the game of Rummy with 13 cards, this Court deems it appropriate to dispose of these writ petitions by way of this common order.

2. Heard Sri V.Venkataramana, learned Senior Counsel for G.L.Narasimha Rao and Sri N.Harinath, learned counsel for the petitioners and the learned Government Pleader for Home (TG) for respondents apart from perusing the material available before the Court.

3. The sum and substance of the case of the petitioners in these writ petitions is that the game of Rummy with 13 cards is a game of skill and the same does not fall under the definition of gambling, as such, the police authorities cannot interfere with the said game of skill. In support of the said contention, the learned advocates appearing for the petitioners place reliance on the judgments in STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH v. K. SATYANARAYANA AND ORS., AIR 1968 SC 825, DR. K. R. LAKSHMANAN v. STATE OF TAMIL NADU AND ANOTHER, AIR 1996 SC 1153, order of the Hon'ble Apex Court in SLP (C ) No. 15371/2012 dated 18.08.2015 D. KRISHNA KUMAR AND ANR. v. STATE OF A.