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PIL challenges PUBG ban in Gujarat High Court

The petitioners have also challenged arrests of around 21 people who were caught playing the game.

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A public interest litigation has been filed in the Gujarat High Court challenging the ban imposed on playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG, by authorities in several cities across the state. The petition filed by Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) is likely to be taken up this week by the division bench of Acting Chief Justice AS Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav.

The multi-platform battle game, which took the gaming world by storm with over 10 crore downloads on Google Play alone, was recently banned in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Gir Somnath, Vadodara, Surat, Anand and Bhavnagar.  
The ban was imposed by city police authorities under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on the grounds that it results in violent behaviour among youngsters and affects their studies. 

While many cities including Ahmedabad lifted the ban, it is still in place till April 30 in other cities like Rajkot.

The petitioners have also challenged arrests of around 21 people who were caught playing the game. 

The counsel for IFF told DNA that the ban imposed by law enforcement agencies is unconstitutional. The advocate said people have a right to choose their recreation and there is no concrete evidence to prove the game results in violent behaviour among youngsters. 

He also said the arrests made by the police post the ban is violative of fundamental rights enshrined under the Constitution as Section 144 of the CrPC does not empower the authorities to impose a ban on playing a game.

The advocate also questioned the authorities on how can people be harassed for playing a game, when the ban on it is in clear violation of Article 14 (equality before the law), 19 (freedom of speech), and 21 (deprivation from life and liberty) of the Constitution.

In the popular online game, inspired by the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale, up to a hundred players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting killed themselves. 

The available safe area of the game’s map decreases in size over time, directing surviving players into tighter areas to force encounters. The last player or team standing wins the round.

Game Point 

  • PUBG is an online multiplayer battle game developed by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole. 
  • It is inspired by the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale, and expanded into a standalone game
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