Justice Krishna Kumar has reserved orders on the writ petition filed by the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and others seeking the restoration of their suspended license. The matter, which was heard on Thursday and Friday, has been posted for orders on Tuesday, June 18.

The BTC’s license has been suspended since April 1. During the hearings, the Advocate General defended the government’s decision to withdraw the license, citing Supreme Court judgments. He argued that the government had the prerogative to issue or deny licenses and suggested that any procedural issues could be referred back to the government for review. He stressed strongly the government’s discretion about granting a license or not.

Justice Kumar observed that the charges were specifically against two officials and the Chairman of the BTC, not the club as a whole. He raised the question of whether vicarious liability should extend to the BTC itself.

BTC’s counsel argued that while the government has the authority to grant licenses, this discretion must be exercised properly. They contended that a license should not be denied merely because of the pending charges and ongoing investigations.

The Judge also asked what conditions might be imposed if the court were to allow racing and betting at BTC as an interim measure. BTC’s counsel suggested that any conditions should be in line with existing laws governing racing.

It is widely anticipated that the court will direct the government to permit the resumption of races at BTC under specific conditions. The exact nature of the interim order and its potential to enable the immediate resumption of racing remains to be seen.