The Madras High Court expressed concern over the growing gun culture in Tamil Nadu and said that it must be controlled. The court also directed the state government to take appropriate steps to control the proliferation of gun culture in Tamil Nadu.
According to reports, a division bench consisting of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice VM Velumani made these observations while hearing a habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of the petitioner on a charge of robbery using firearms. The bench directed the state government to file a report on whether Tamil Nadu is receiving firearms from other states like Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and even from abroad and if firearms are freely available for purchase.
The court further directed the police to file a report on the number of persons who have been detained under the Goondas Act for using firearms in their crimes. The court further stated that the country is facing a lot of threats from within the country through forces that are focussed on creating law and order problems.
“Many organisations such as Naxals, ULFA and ISIS are waging war within our country using illegal firearms,” the bench noted, adding that in 2016, the state police had arrested around 230 persons for possessing firearms illegally. It also expressed shock over the discovery of illegal gun manufacturing units in Salem district earlier this year and the subsequent seizure of raw materials from the Kalrayan Forest Range in the district.
The court further directed the state government to file a report within two weeks on the number of persons arrested for selling country made guns illegally to people in Tamil Nadu and whether the sellers are from foreign countries. The court also ordered the government to specify the number of gun licences issued so far and the number of people arrested so far for possessing firearms without a license.