NEW DELHI, July 30 — The Supreme Court of India directed the Delhi government to provide proper medical treatment to individuals injured by the alleged use of metallic pellet guns during a recent student demonstration in the national capital. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohan issued the directions while hearing a petition regarding police action during the protest march to Parliament.
Addressing the legal framework around crowd control, the bench observed that police regulations permit the use of pellet guns in exceptional circumstances, noting that such measures cannot be considered unlawful unless the underlying rules are challenged directly.
“Government of Delhi shall provide medical treatment to the injured petitioner or other similarly placed individuals,” ordered the Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohan.
During the proceedings, Advocate Vrinda Grover, representing the petitioners, maintained that metallic pellets recovered from injured individuals constituted disproportionate force against peaceful demonstrators. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta affirmed to the court that relevant deployment records from the July 20 event would be preserved for investigation purposes, as the court suggested the petitioners amend their plea to challenge the existing rules.
