NEW DELHI, July 30 — Examining police measures during student demonstrations in the capital, the Supreme Court stated that establishing formal protocols or challenging existing regulations remains the primary path to address claims of excessive force. The bench made the remarks while considering a petition filed by retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad alongside injured individuals seeking a ban on kinetic projectiles for crowd control.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that when law enforcement rules permit escalating force under extreme conditions, the court must consider how such tools can be entirely prohibited, particularly if peaceful gatherings are infiltrated by violent elements.
“Police rules allow the use in exceptional circumstances unless you challenge the rules themselves. One of the steps of the graded approach is the use of pellet guns,” observed Justice Joymalya Bagchi during the hearing.
The petition arose following the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” demonstration organised over examination system concerns, where security personnel used tear gas and crowd control measures after barricades were breached. The apex court recorded the government’s assurance that duty logs and deployment records would be maintained to facilitate an effective inquiry.
