Bengaluru, 22 April

A day after a court ordered registering an FIR against him for his statement during a Kabaddi match that he lost Rs 500 bet with the Deputy Commissioner, Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said, "It seems I cannot crack jokes".

Parameshwara said his utterance during the match was casual and was not meant to promote betting.

“I had said so casually during a Kabaddi match. In the countryside, we speak casually sometimes. Of course, it is wrong in the eyes of the law, but what is important is the context in which I had said that,” Parameshwara told reporters in the City. "Had I asked people to bet on the game and promoted betting, that would not be proper.”

He said the matter of betting was over once the game was over, but it was raked up after a private individual filed a complaint in court.

Asked why he didn’t explain the context to the court, Parameshwara said that he hadn’t received any notice.

During a State-level Pre-University kabaddi tournament in Tumakuru recently, Dakshina Kannada defeated Vijayapura 36-26 in the boys' final. After presenting the prize, Parameshwara remarked, "I lost Rs 500. I had placed a bet with the Deputy Commissioner that the Vijayapura team would win."