NEET Protests | Supreme Court Directs Centre To Preserve RAF Ammunition Log; Terms Complete Ban On Pellet Guns 'Vague' Without Challenging Police Regulations

The Supreme Court asked the Centre to preserve the ammunition log of Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed at the Jantar Mantar and took note of a plea on the use of metallic pellet guns during the recent students' protests against the NEET paper leak in Delhi.

Observing that police, as per the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) advisory, are empowered to use pellet guns in exceptional situations, the top court termed “vague” the prayer in the plea seeking a complete ban on such usage.

Recently, the Court has indicated its inclination to order an independent and fair probe into the widespread violence and alleged police excesses during student protests over the NEET 2026 paper leak.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of the submissions of senior advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the petitioners, and asked the Delhi government to provide the best treatment to Prashant Kumar and Sheikh Irshad Mansoori and others who suffered pellet gun injuries during the July 20 protest here.

Former Central Information Commissioner and retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad and the two victims had moved the court seeking a complete ban on the use of metallic pellet guns to deal with law and order situations.

At the outset, Justice Bagchi said that the prayer for a ban on the use of pellet guns by law enforcement agencies for civilian crowd dispersal was "vague" without challenging the police regulations, which permit the use of such weapons.

Grover said it was not easy to find such regulations in the public domain, and urged the bench to direct the Centre to place them on record.

Singh and Mansoori reportedly suffered pellet injuries during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on July 20.

Grover said as regards the petitioners, metallic pellets were used, and they were recovered from their bodies.

“I am not saying pellet guns should not be in the armoury of the RAF or not. Here it is different. They have used metallic pellets,” she said.

The bench said it was not averse to examining the use of pellets in a particular incident and the petitioners must show if it was permissible under a "graded approach".

The senior lawyer said she was confining her reliefs to metallic pellets.

"There is no standing order of the Delhi Police which permits the use of pellets. That is why my difficulty arises, and I have to rely on BPRD. If there is such a standing order, the Union may place it on record. I am sure the Union and the Delhi Police do not wish to fire pellets on innocent youngsters,” she said.

“I could not find any such standing order of the Delhi Police at all," Grover said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government will do whatever is necessary to assist the bench.

Grover said the top court on July 28 directed the preservation of CCTV, drone, body camera footage and wireless logs and did not specifically refer to ammunition logs of the RAF.

“Whatever is required for investigation will be preserved,” the solicitor general said.

The bench said a bona fide protest may turn violent at any point, perhaps due to the infiltration of anti-social elements, and “graded responses” by law enforcement might sometimes be necessary.

The forces may have to take on the spot decision based on the event, the law officer said.

Yashovardhan Azad approached the top 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 also sought exemplary compensation, comprehensive medical treatment and rehabilitation for all persons allegedly injured in the incident.

According to the petition, the RAF, deployed to assist the Delhi Police in crowd management during the protests, resorted to tear gas, lathi-charge and subsequently fired pump-action guns loaded with metallic pellets near Connaught Place.

The petitioners alleged that no prior warning or announcement was issued before the escalation in the use of force and that several protesters suffered serious injuries, including eye injuries.

According to the plea, pellet guns, though often described as "less-lethal" weapons, disperse hundreds of projectiles over a wide area, making them incapable of precise targeting and creating a substantial risk of grave injuries to the eyes and other vital organs.

Such weapons fail the constitutional tests of necessity, proportionality and reasonableness governing restrictions on the fundamental right to peaceful assembly under Article 19(1)(b), it contended.

Previosuly, the Court remarked that the right to peaceful protest is an essential constitutional guarantee that cannot be denied, while emphasizing that injury to any individual—whether a student or a police officer—is of equal concern.

The Court agreed to hear two separate petitions alleging police excesses against students protesting against the NEET paper leak. Earlier that day, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant dismissed as "reckless” media reports that he had denied an urgent hearing on a plea challenging the July 20 police action against students, saying it was only a representation and not a petition.

Another bench of the Supreme Court has also made suggestions in a plea concerning structural and administrative reforms for conducting the NEET-UG examination, highlighting the urgent need to transition from temporary measures to permanent institutionalization.

Recently, the Delhi High Court had also issued notice to the Delhi Police and the Union of India in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging excessive use of force by the Delhi Police during the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest march at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Cause Title: Yashovardhan Azan and Others v. Union of India and Ors. [W.P.(C) No. 917/2026]

(With PTI Inputs)