Supreme Court asks Centre to preserve log of RAF ammunition used in CJP-led protest

Published 30 July 2026 · local

The Supreme Court on Thursday (July 30, 2026) asked the Centre to preserve the ammunition log of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed at New

The Supreme Court on Thursday (July 30, 2026) asked the Centre to preserve the ammunition log of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during the students’ protest against NEET paper ‘leak’. The top court questioned one of the prayers sought in a plea seeking a complete ban on use of metallic pellet guns to deal with law and order situations. It was filed by former Central Information Commissioner and retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad and two victims of pellet gun injuries in the recent protests over the NEET paper ‘leak’ in the national capital.

The top court referred to the advisory of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and said police are empowered to use pellet guns in exceptional situations. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana took note of the submissions of senior advocate Vrinda Grover and asked the Delhi government to provide the best treatment to those who suffered pellet injuries during the protest. The Bench, however, said it was ready to examine the use of pellet guns in the July 20 protests called by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The orally observed that the top court can consider the question of framing down of protocol against the excessive, arbitrary use of pellet guns by security forces on assemblies. “Cases of hijacking protests by elements to demolish the bona fide of a protest. In such cases forces have to take appropriate steps. The solution is to arm the police with defensive gear. They are also human beings. They need to be confident about their safety when facing mobs,” Justice Joymalya Bagchi said. Azad has approached the Supreme Court seeking a nationwide ban on the use of wholly or partly metallic pellet ammunition fired from pump-action or projectile action guns for dispersing civilian assemblies, contending that such weapons are inherently incompatible with constitutional standards governing the use of force.

The petition,, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, also sought the grant of exemplary compensation to all victims of pellet injuries caused by state action on July 20, as well as ensuring complete medical treatment, care, and rehabilitation for the aforementioned victims. With PTI inputs

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