New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- The Supreme Court has sought to know from the Union government whether online gaming and betting platforms can be completely banned, as it agreed to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that gambling and betting websites are thriving under the guise of social and e-sports games. A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan asked the Centre to assist the court on the issue, requesting the counsel for the petitioner organisation, Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), to share the complete case file with VC Bharathi, the panel counsel for the Union government, and directed the matter to be listed after two weeks. "We request Mr Bharathi to look into the petition and assist us on the next date of hearing," the bench said in its brief order. Advocates Virag Gupta and Rupali Panwar appeared for CASC, a public policy think tank that seeks directions for a nationwide prohibition on online gambling and betting platforms, many of which, it claimed, continue to operate in the garb of "social" or "e-sports" gaming apps. HTC...