PIL Filed in Supreme Court Seeking Ban on Pellet Guns During Public Protests

A former IPS officer, Yashovardhan Azad, along with Prashant Kumar Singh and Sheikh Irshad Mansuri, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a complete ban on the use of pellet guns for crowd control during public protests. According to the petition, Prashant Kumar Singh and Sheikh Irshad Mansuri sustained injuries after being hit by pellet gun fire during the "Sansad Chalo" march held in Delhi on July 20. The petition requests the court to prohibit the use of pellet guns while managing public demonstrations. Prashant Kumar Singh stated that he had participated in the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" march as a peaceful protester. He alleged that personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) fired pellet guns at the protesters without issuing any prior warning. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Sheikh Irshad Mansuri said that he was at Connaught Place after completing passport and visa-related work when he was injured in RAF pellet firing. The petition also seeks compensation, complete medical care, and treatment for all those injured during the July 20 incident. The petitioners contend that the use of metallic projectiles, or kinetic projectiles, can cause severe, long-term, and disabling injuries to protesters. They stated that the public interest litigation has been filed to safeguard the constitutional and fundamental rights of young people and peaceful demonstrators. Referring to Section 148 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, the petition argues that authorities must issue a warning and direct a crowd to disperse peacefully before taking any action. It further states that even if the crowd does not disperse immediately, civil force should be used first. The petitioners have argued that the metal pellets discharged from pellet guns spread in random directions, making them a dangerous weapon that should not be used against civilian crowds.