Bombay HC Declines ‘Matqa Queen’ Jaya Chheda’s Plea To Dismiss Gambling Cases

'Matqa Queen'

The Bombay High Court has rejected Jaya Chheda’s, also known as the “matka queen,” request to dismiss multiple FIRs and legal proceedings against her under the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act.

This decision led Chheda to withdraw six of the 16 petitions she had filed earlier in a Mumbai court.

Chheda’s lawyer, Taraq Sayed, argued that the cases against her were repetitive, as each involved the same set of accused individuals. However, government attorney JP Yagnik presented witness statements and evidence allegedly linking Chheda to illegal gambling activities.

Despite these arguments, a bench comprising Justices Bharti Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande refused to grant any relief. The court advised Chheda to seek discharge through the trial court instead.

Following the ruling, Chheda’s lawyer withdrew 6 petitions but pointed out that in one of the cases, Chheda was listed as “uncharged.” The prosecution clarified that this was a mistake.

Chheda initially filed 16 petitions seeking to dismiss FIRs lodged between April and June 2022 under the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act. Sayed contended that these FIRs, filed within a span of two months across various police stations, were nearly identical and part of a larger extortion scheme allegedly involving corrupt police officers. He also noted that some of the officers involved in the case are under departmental investigation.

Furthermore, Sayed informed the court that in 10 of the 16 cases, the prosecution had previously stated there was insufficient evidence to support the charges.

Chheda now plans to pursue relief through the trial court instead of further petitioning the high court.