In a landmark intervention aimed at safeguarding the Right to Life under Article 21, the Supreme Court has disposed of a suo-motu litigation by directing the Central government to form a high-level committee of experts. This committee is tasked with eradicating the “menace” of unlicensed firearms and the unauthorised use of legal weapons, a phenomenon the court warned could sound the “death knell of the rule of law”.

mid-day, in 2024, was the first newspaper to highlight the issue after a city-based petitioner moved the SC, raising concerns about illegal firearm usage.