Ext.P1 order by which the first respondent has rejected the application for renewal of a gun licence submitted by the petitioner and Ext.P3 order by which the second respondent has confirmed Ext.P1 order in appeal, are under challenge in this writ petition.

2. The case of the petitioner is that he is holding the licence sought to be renewed for the last nine years and when he applied for renewal of the licence during 2010, the application was rejected as per Ext.P1 order holding that the Superintendent of Police concerned has reported that there is no threat to the life of the petitioner and therefore, the licence cannot be renewed. The very same stand is reiterated by the second respondent in Ext.P3 order. The relevant portion of the order reads thus:

"The question to be considered mainly is, whether there exists a real threat to his life and property of the appellant. A weapon becomes essential for a particular individual, when he alone has to defend himself from the threats and when being denied of protection which is his right as a citizen. In this instant case, no such threat exists. Holding a large extent of landed property does not make one susceptible to threat. Hav