SC to examine Centre’s SOPs on pellet gun use amid row over alleged use on student protesters

The Supreme Court agreed to examine the Centre's standard operating procedures (SOPs) and standing orders on pellet gun use, following allegations of their use against students during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' protest in Delhi.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued notice to the Union government on a petition by former Intelligence Bureau special director Yashovardhan Azad and two injured protesters, challenging the use of pellet guns for crowd control.

The court questioned the maintainability of a plea for a blanket ban, noting that police rules allow pellet guns in exceptional circumstances as part of a graded approach.

The petition specifically challenges the use of wholly or partly metallic kinetic projectiles fired from pump action rifles or projectile action guns (PAGs) for dispersing civilian assemblies.

This was the first time pellet guns were used in Delhi; they had previously been used in Jammu and Kashmir and against farmers in 2021.