JUDGMENT

1. The petitioner calls in question a communication dated 31 August 2021 issued by the Office of the Additional Commissioner of Police (Licensing) bringing to his attention the prescribed limit of an individual carrying or possessing not more than two firearms as per Section 3(2) of the Arms Act, 1959 the Act and which was also asserted to apply to members of any 1 the Act rifle club or association. It was consequently observed that all licensees including the petitioner here would be obliged to deposit a firearm in excess of two within 15 days either with the jurisdictional police station or an authorized arms dealer. The aforesaid communication is based on the amendments introduced in Section 3 of the Act vide the Arms (Amendment) Act 2019 Amending Act which came to be notified on 13 December 2019.

2. The petitioner held a valid license for a point 22 bore target pistol, a point 22 rifle and a point 32 revolver. Those three firearms were duly endorsed and entered on the license which the petitioner held and had been granted to him in 2002. In 2011 the petitioner is also stated to have become a life member of the National Rifle Association of India NRAI. It would be pertine