Kishan Chand of Haryana, who has been denied the Rs 1-crore prize in the Karunya lottery, stoically defends his claim as genuine. “I visit Kerala for business purposes quite frequently and purchase tickets in bulk,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Lottery Department is processing the applications by some genuine buyers. A native of Paravur in Kerala who now resides in Mangalore had claimed a first prize.
Lottery sellers are now demanding that the government should come out with a clear policy guideline. “Either the government should print it on the ticket that only those residing in the state are eligible to participate. Else they should evolve a mechanism that will ensure only genuine buyers benefit,” said Purushothama Bharathi, president of the Kerala Lottery Agents Association.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that there is ‘’no ban on people from other states participating in the draw,’’ and that the case of Kishan Chand would be examined by the government.