Delhi protesters allegedly hit by pellets move SC seeking ban on pellet guns in civilian protests

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a nationwide ban on the use of pellet guns by law enforcement agencies for dispersing civilian gatherings. The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution by former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azan along with Prasant Kumar Singh and Sheikh Irshad Mansoori, alleges that the use of metallic pellets during the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" protest over the NEET paper leak caused serious injuries to demonstrators and violated their fundamental rights. Singh and Mansoori claim they were among those injured when personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) allegedly fired pump-action pellet guns during the protest.

According to the petition, both men suffered multiple pellet injuries and were taken to Lady Hardinge Medical College, where they underwent surgery to remove metallic pellets lodged in their bodies. The plea also claims that several other protesters sustained similar injuries, including 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, who allegedly suffered a severe eye injury. Seeking compensation and rehabilitation for those injured, the petition argues that pellet guns are inherently unsuitable for crowd control because their projectiles spread unpredictably, making it impossible to ensure the use of the minimum force required under law. It contends that such weapons fail the constitutional tests of proportionality, necessity and reasonableness, and are incompatible with the safeguards provided under Section 148 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which requires authorities to first order an assembly to disperse and then use civil force before resorting to stronger measures.

The petition also cites the United Nations Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement (2020), which discourages the use of shotguns firing multiple projectiles against crowds because of the high risk of indiscriminate injury. Referring to media reports that the RAF's logbook recorded the firing of seven rounds of pellet ammunition during the July 20 protest, the petition notes that the force has already ordered an internal verification into the allegations. It urges the Supreme Court to prohibit the use of wholly or partially metallic pellet guns for civilian crowd management and direct the government to provide compensation, medical treatment and rehabilitation to all those injured during the July 20 protest. The plea also relies on a series of Supreme Court judgments on proportionality, personal liberty and compensation for violation of fundamental rights, including K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal, Nilabati Behera v. State of Orissa and Rudul Sah v. State of Bihar.