Shreyash Bhardwaj v. Union of India

Patna HC12 May 2026CWJC/5074/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

arms licence renewal; aspiring shooter; Arms Act 1959 Section 3(2); notification No. 665(E) dated 12.02.2020; 2019 amendment weapons reduced three to two; licence no. 224/2014 (Kudhani); District Magistrate Muzaffarpur; District Arms Magistrate; antecedent verification; police report; two weeks from representation; in accordance with law; State Shooting Championship June 2026; CWJC 5074 of 2026; Patna High Court; Ajit Kumar J; writ petition disposed.

What did the court decide?

Direction to Respondent Nos. 4 and 5 (District Magistrate and District Arms Magistrate, Muzaffarpur) to verify the petitioner's antecedents and, on the police report disclosing no other legal impediment, examine his pending arms licence renewal application within two weeks of representation and pass the necessary decision/renewal in accordance with law. ¶¶31

Shreyash Bhardwaj Vs Union of India — Patna HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

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Issue for consideration

Whether Respondent Nos. 4 and 5 (District Magistrate and District Arms Magistrate, Muzaffarpur) ought to be directed to renew the petitioner's arms licence no. 224/2014 (Kudhani), whose validity has expired for want of consideration. +2 more

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Court's answer

Respondent Nos. 4 and 5, the District Magistrate and the District Arms Magistrate, Muzaffarpur, are directed to verify the petitioner's antecedents and, looking to the police report, if there is no other legal impediment, examine the pending renewal application.

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Ratio / Principle

The renewal application shall be examined by the concerned authorities within a period of two weeks from the date of representation, and the necessary decision/renewal shall be made in accordance with law.

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Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Arms licence renewal — Patna High Court disposes of aspiring shooter's writ petition with directions to licensing authorities. Petitioner (Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No. 5074 of 2026, decided 12-05-2026, Ajit Kumar, J.) sought renewal of arms licence no. 224/2014 (Kudhani), which expired after the 2019 amendment to the Arms Act, 1959 reduced permissible weapons from three to two and his application for removal/exemption — invoking the Ministry of Home Affairs notification dated 12.02.2020 (No. 665(E)) for aspiring shooters under Section 3(2) of the Arms Act, 1959 — went unconsidered. The Court directed Respondent Nos. 4 and 5 (District Magistrate and District Arms Magistrate, Muzaffarpur) to verify the petitioner's antecedents and, the police report showing no other legal impediment, examine the renewal application within two weeks from the date of representation and make the necessary decision/renewal in accordance with law; writ petition disposed of.

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.5074 of 2026

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Shreyash Bhardwaj S/o- Sri Naresh Kumar, Permanent R/o Village- Chhajan Sangram, P.O.- Chhajan Harishankar, P.S.- Turki, District- Muzaffarpur At Present R/o Mohalla- Aadarsh Nagar, Majhaulia, P.O.- Khabra (Now (Dumari), P.S.- Sadar, District- Muzaffarpur, Pincode- 843113, Mob. No.9430010000.

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... ... Petitioner/s

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Versus

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Union of India through Principal Secretory, Department of Home Government of India, New-Delhi.

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State of Bihar, through Chief Secretary Bihar, Patna.

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Principal Secretary, Department of Home, Government of Bihar, Patna, Bihar.

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District Magistrate, Muzaffarpur.

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District Arms Magistrate, Muzaffarpur.

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... ... Respondent/s

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Appearance : For the Petitioner/s : Mr. Shreyash Bhardwaj (In Person) For the Respondent/s : Mr. Additional Solicitor General ======================================================

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CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE AJIT KUMAR ORAL ORDER

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2 12-05-2026

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Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned

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counsel for the State.

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The writ petition has been filed for the following

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reliefs :-

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(a) To direct the respondent no. 04 and 05 to renew arms license no. 224/2014, (Kudhani) standing in name of petitioner having been properly identified as an aspiring shooter in usual way like previous one.

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(b) To direct the respondent no. 04 and 05 to renew the arms license no. 224/2014 (Kudhani) at once because of the fact that due to indocility of the

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Patna High Court CWJC No.5074 of 2026(2) dt.12-05-2026 2/3

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respondent no.- 04 and 05the validity of License No.- 224/2014 (Kudhani) expired.

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(c) Any other order/orders which in the fact and circumstances of the case so attract.

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Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner is an aspiring shooter, who is entitled for exemption in terms of notification issued by the Government of India, Home Department Ministry of Home Affairs dated 12.02.2020, so no. 665(E) to possess more arms than so allowed under Section 3(2) of the Arms Act, 1959.

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It is the case of the petitioner that, pursuant to the amendment effected in the year 2019 to the Arms Act, 1959, inter alia , Section 3(2) of the Arms Act, 1959, whereby the number of weapons permissible under a license has been reduced from three to two. The petitioner, who had already been granted a license to possess three weapons, prior to the amendment, submits that the said amendment reducing the permissible number of weapons to two may not be applicable in his case. It is further submitted that an application for removal, as contemplated under the applicable Rules, was required to be considered; however, for unexplained reasons, the same has not been acted upon, while the validity of License No. 224 of 2014 has since expired.

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It has further been submitted that the petitioner,

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Patna High Court CWJC No.5074 of 2026(2) dt.12-05-2026 3/3

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being an aspiring shooter, is to appear in the State Shooting Championship, which is scheduled from 1^st June 2026, and because of the license having been expired, the petitioner may not be able to participate in the said championship and accordingly, it is prayed that on priority basis, the consideration of his license may be considered by the authorities and the petitioner has not earned any criminal antecedent during the subsistence of such license, which can be verified from the local Police official.

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Respondent Nos.4 and 5, District Magistrate and the District Arms Magistrate, Muzaffarpur, are directed to verify the antecedent of this petitioner and as also looking to the Police report, if there is no other legal impediment, then in such event, the renewal of license for which the application has been made shall be examined by the concerned authorities within a period of two weeks from the date of representation and necessary decision / renewal shall be made in accordance with law.

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Accordingly, the writ petition stands disposed of.

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(Ajit Kumar, J)

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sharun/-

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Shreyash Bhardwaj v. Union of India

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Shreyash Bhardwaj v. Union of India

Case brief

What is this about?

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What the court decided

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