GOQii founder Vishal Gondal's post on the ills of real-money gaming continues to haunt him, as he has now been summoned by a Faridabad-based police station after a complaint by a resident, who alleged defamation. This comes days after he was slapped with multiple legal notices from people who took umbrage at his views against real money gaming apps such as rummy and poker.
Gondal, a serial entrepreneur and angel investor who has launched the game FAU-G, has been receiving legal notices from across the country following an article he wrote on the ills of real money gaming for a digital media website.
The latest police summon in Hindi states that the case pertains to the issues caused to Ajay Malhotra a city resident following Gondal's Twitter post related to the article. Gondal has been asked to appear before the station house officer of Sarai Khwaja Police Station on April 5.
Denying the allegations, Gondal has responded to the summon stating that his opinion was not aimed at any particular individual or entity and aims to convey the pros and cons of easily accessible technology including games to the public at large, "which if not regulated ... can have catastrophic effects on the entire society and more particularly on the younger generation." He has also added that the complaint reeks of a deliberate attempt to harass him.
"The very fact that such online real money games have already been banned in several states and yet no first information report nor action of any sort has been taken by the complainant till date in respect of same proves that the present complaint is malicious and vexatious complaint targeting our client deliberately," read the response.
He has also sought a copy of the complaint filed against him besides requesting a virtual meeting given the pandemic.
Moneycontrol has seen the copies of the police summon as well as Gondal's response.
So far, he has received over a dozen notices but this police complaint is a first.
"It is unfortunate to see how the police and legal system is being misused to harass someone who is exercising his right to free speech. All I have been talking about are the ill effects of Real Money Gaming/Gambling on society and how the government should view the same. Seems like the cartels in the business are trying their best to harass and intimidate me," Gondal said in a response to Moneycontrol's queries.
Gondal, who also runs gaming startup nCore Games, apart from his fitness startup GOQii, says that unlike real money gaming his game does not have any element of money-making activities.
According to him, there have been multiple cases of loss of lives following losses incurred on account of real money games in India.
