New Delhi, August 3, 2026: The Supreme Court on Monday said it would lay down a protocol governing the use of pellet guns by law enforcement agencies as it heard 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 student protests in Delhi on July 20, Live Law reports.

Court Seeks Clarity On Rules

Last week, while hearing the petition, the bench had observed that the regulations permitting the use of pellet guns would have to be challenged.

On Monday, advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that there was no standing order authorising the Delhi Police to use pellet guns and argued that the weapon was inherently unsuitable for deployment against civilians.

Grover told the court that her research had found no standing order or regulation mentioning the use of pellet guns from 1967 to the present. She said pellet guns were used in Kashmir in 2010 and subsequently in 2016.

A standard operating procedure (SOP), she said, was prepared in 2011 by a Union High Task Force, while a High-Powered Committee submitted a report in 2016.

Grover said the committee's report was not available and maintained that there was no Delhi Police standing order allowing or even mentioning pellet guns.

"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.

She urged the court to direct the Union government to file an affidavit disclosing whether any standing order governing the use of pellet guns existed.

SC Eyes A Clear Protocol

"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 Chief Justice of India said.

The court's proposed exercise assumes significance because it could bring clarity to when, and under what circumstances, law enforcement agencies may use pellet guns. The submissions before the court also raise questions about the regulatory framework governing the use of such weapons against civilian gatherings.

The matter has been listed along with other petitions concerning police action during the July 20 student protests in Delhi.

Protesters Recount Pellet Injuries

The petition was filed by former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad and two others, Prasant Kumar Singh and Sheikh Irshad Mansoori. Singh and Mansoori said they were injured by pellets fired by the Rapid Action Force (RAF) during the Sansad Chalo demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janata Party on July 20 over exam paper leaks.

According to the petition, Singh and Mansoori witnessed RAF personnel suddenly fire a pump-action gun, releasing a wide spray of splinter-like pellets that penetrated their bodies and caused immediate pain and bleeding.

The petition said they were taken to Lady Hardinge Medical College, where they underwent surgical procedures to remove pellets lodged in their bodies. Singh said he had seen at least one other person arrive at the hospital with pellet injuries.

Petition Flags Risk To Vital Organs

The petitioners said pellet guns are usually pump-action guns of .12 bore and described the weapon as a generic shotgun loaded with a cartridge containing 250 to 400 small metal projectiles, known as pellets.

They argued that because the pellets spread across a wide area in the general direction in which the weapon is fired, they carry a high risk of injuring the eyes and other vital organs of people in an assembly.

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Supreme Court To Frame Protocol On Use Of Pellet Guns For Crowd Control During Civilian Protests