UNION OF INDIA Vs. KHURMI GUN WORKS

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS shall dispose of all the abovementioned six Letter Patent Appeals.

(2.) ALL the Letter Patent Appeals arise out of the writ petitions filed by the persons manufacturing guns, cartridges, gun powder etc. The licence to manufacture arms etc. was granted by the Govt. of India on the recommendation of the State Govt. permitting them to manufacture certain quantity of guns, cartridges, gun powder etc. per year. The Govt. of India has been issuing policy regarding issuance of arms licence from time to time. The first policy in this regard is the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956. The said policy was noticed by the Supreme Court of India in Ranjit Singh v. Union of India, AIR 1981 SC 461, wherein it was observed as under: -

(3.) THE Government of India for laying down the criterion regarding issuance of licence to manufacturers of arms and ammunition issued instructions dated 8 -3 -1957 to all the States and Administrators informing them that till final decision is taken in the matter, the Government of India will have no objection to the continuance of manufacture of arms and ammunition by the existing units in the private sector, who were already licenced for such manufacture and are already doing business provided that: - -