The Supreme Court on Monday said that it would lay down a protocol governing the use of pellet guns by law enforcement agencies while hearing a petition challenging their use for crowd control.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana was hearing a writ petition seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns against civilian assemblies and compensation for two protesters who suffered pellet injuries during the student protests in Delhi on July 20.

Last week, while hearing the petition, the bench had opined that the regulations which permit the use of pellet guns will have to be challenged. Today, Advocate Vrinda Grover, for the petitioners, submitted that there was no standing order authorising the Delhi police to use pellet guns and that the weapon was inherently unsuitable for deployment against civilians.

"I have done a deep dive and research in this. From 1967 to now, there is not a single standing order or regulation mentioning the use of pellet gun. It was used in 2010 in Kashmir and subsequently in 2016. There is a SOP prepared in 2011 by a Union High Task Force and in 2016 there was a High Powered Committee report. That report is not available. There is no standing order of the Delhi Police that allows the use of pellet guns or even mentions the weapon. The petition is not saying that the police should not have anything to protect itself. But this particular weapon, by its very nature, is unfit for use," Grover submitted.

Grover urged the Court to direct the Union to file an affidavit disclosing if there was any such standing order.

"We will take their affidavit, and with your assistance and with the opinion of domain experts, we would like to lay down a protocol on whether it can be used or not and if allowed, in what circumstances," the CJI said.

The matter is listed along with the other petitions concerning the police action on the July 20 student protests in Delhi.

The petition is filed by former IPS officer, Yashovardhan Azad, and two other persons, Prasant Kumar Singh and Sheikh Irshad Mansoori. Singh and Mansoori stated that they were victims of pellets fired by the Rapid Action Force(RAF) during the Sansad Chalo demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janata Party on July 20 over the issue of exam paper leaks.

As per the petition, Singh and Mansoor witnessed that the RAF had suddenly fired a pump action gun, releasing a wide spray of splinter-like pellets, which penetrated their bodies, causing immediate pain and bleeding. It has been stated that they were taken to Lady Hardinge Medical College, where they received surgical intervention for removal of pellets lodged in their body. Singh said he had witnessed at least one more person come to the hospital with pellet injuries.

The petitioners explained that pellets are usually pumped-action guns of .12 bore and the rifle is a generic 'shotgun' which is loaded with a cartridge containing 250-400 small projectiles, referred to as pellets made with metal. Since pellets target a wide zone in the general direction, they create a great propensity of injuring the eyes and other vital organs of the person in an assembly.

Appearance: Advocates Vrinda Grover, Soutik Banerjee, and Devika Tulsiani (for petitioners)

Case Title: Yashovardhan Azan and Others v. Union of India and Others | W.P.(C) No. 917/2026