Tashichholing (Sipsu) drungkhag court in Samtse on July 18 sentenced Tendruk gup Nima Dukpa, who is also the chairman of Samtse Dzongkhag Tshogdu (DT) to one-month prison term for the offence of gambling.

Other five defendants, Nanda Raj Gurung, Damber Singh Gurung, Kumar Gurung, Jit Bahadur Gurung, and Ganesh Gurung received two months each prison term for playing cards with Nu 500 each as stake.

They were found guilty of gambling during a picnic with the public organised at Kaching ECCD, Tendruk, on the eve of New Year, December 31, 2017.

The case surfaced when the former Tendruk gup Pema Wangchuk filed an alleged gambling case against gup Nima Dukpa. The complainant had submitted a written complaint on March 2 this year with a video clip as evidence and alleged that gup Nima Dukpa and other five gambled in a public place on January 1 during a picnic.

The defendants were convicted under Section 393 and 394 of Penal Code of Bhutan for petty misdemeanour.

Section 393 states that: “A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of gambling, if the defendant stakes or wagers something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under the defendant’s control or influence upon an agreement or understanding that the defendant will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”

Since the defendants didn’t have past criminal records and are not habitual offenders, the court granted an option to all defendants to pay thrimthueor fine in lieu of imprisonment within 10 days.

Rajesh Rai | Phuentsholing

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