A hearing was held in the Supreme Court on Thursday against the alleged use of pellet guns in the violence during the student movement in Delhi. During this, the court said that in very serious situations, when the violence is not controlled by lathi charge and tear gas, the police is allowed to open fire. The court also said that if any protest comes under the control of mischievous elements and turns violent then How can the police be stopped from using pellet guns? The Supreme Court has also directed the Delhi government to provide proper treatment to the protesters injured in the alleged firing from pellet guns.
The Supreme Court has also asked the Central Government to keep the records of RAF ammunition safe, but at the same time the Court also asked questions to the petitioner and former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad, who demanded a ban on the use of pellet guns against the protesters. The Supreme Court said these things while hearing the petition against the use of pellet guns on the students protesting at Jantar Mantar and other places.
What happened in the hearing?
Petitioner’s lawyer Vrinda Grover said that it contains a kinetic metallic projectile. Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that but police rules allow its use in special circumstances. Unless you challenge those rules yourself. Use of pellet guns is also a step in the graded approach.
On this Grover said that the pallets can be of rubber, plastic and metal. These were made of metal and were taken out from people’s bodies. Justice Bagchi said that we are not against investigating the use of pellets in any particular case. You must show us whether pellets can be used as a ‘graded response’ (depending on the situation). Whereas in some situations bullets are also fired.
CJI said- guidelines should be decided
The CJI said that in view of the alleged excessive use of pellets, your demand should be that the court should decide on a protocol for their use. Grover said yes, only for metal pellets. Justice Bagchi said that there was a rule in the Calcutta High Court that to save ammunition, bullets should be fired on the chest instead of any other part of the body. On this, the Solicitor General said that this must have been a rule of the colonial era. Justice Bagchi said that that rule had been repealed. So you have to show us rules where pellets are being used arbitrarily.
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