NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday indicated it was willing to examine the issue of the use of pellet guns for crowd control, but suggested that a petition seeking an outright ban on metallic pellets should instead seek the framing of a protocol governing their use.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad and two persons who suffered pellet injuries during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest over the NEET paper leak.
The Supreme Court also directed the Centre to preserve ammunition log of RAF deployed at Jantar Mantar during the students’ protest. The court also directed Delhi government to ensure medical treatment to the injured petitioner or other similarly placed individuals.
The petition seeks directions to ban or decommission the use of wholly or partly metallic kinetic projectiles fired from pump action rifles or Projectile Action Guns (PAGs) by law enforcement agencies for crowd control.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant suggested that the petition be modified to focus on regulating the use of pellet guns rather than seeking an outright prohibition.
“In light of the alleged excessive use, your prayer should be that the court lays down a protocol regarding their use,” the Chief Justice observed.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi also advised the petitioners to amend the plea to enable the court to examine the existing legal framework governing the use of such weapons.
“Some changes need to be made in your prayers so we can look into the existing norms which the police and forces follow on this issue,” Justice Bagchi said.
He pointed out that police rules already permit the use of pellet guns in exceptional circumstances as part of a graded use-of-force policy.
