The main legal point established in the judgment is the interpretation of the legal provisions under the Arms Act to determine the jurisdiction for trying penal offences related to prohibited arms and ammunition.

1. Question of inherent jurisdiction to try the cases with respect to prohibited arms or ammunition is involved in all the aforementioned 31 revision petitions as such these petitions are being decided by the common order.

2. First of all it is to be mentioned the details of firearms and ammunitions, which come in category of prohibited firearms and ammunitions as per Arms Act of 1959 as well as Arms Rules of 1962.

3. Section 2 of Arms Act defines "prohibited arms" which means -

i. firearms so designed or adapted that, if pressure is applied to the trigger, missiles continue to be discharged until pressure is removed from the trigger or the magazine containing the missiles is empty, or

ii. weapons of any description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other such thing, and includes artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank firearms and such other arms as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify to be prohibited arms;

4. Section 2 (h) "prohibited ammunition" means any ammunition containing, or designed or adapted to contain, any noxious liquid, gas or other such thing, and includes rockets, bombs, grenades, shells, articles designed for torpedo service and submarine mining and such other articles as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify to be prohibited ammunition;

5. THE ARMS RULES, 1962 -Rule 3 Classification of arms or ammunition. -For the purposes of the Act and these rules, “arms” or “ammunition” shall be of the categories specified in Cols. 2 and 3. respectively of Sch. 1 and references to any category of arms or ammunition in these rules shall be construed accordingly.

According to Schedule 1 the arms have been divided into 5 categories. Prohibited arms and ammunition have been placed in category 1.

SCHEDULE 1 [Section Rule 3]

CATEGORY	ARMS	AMMUNITION
1	2	3
CATEGORY I	(a) Prohibited arms as defined in Sec. 2 (I) (i) and such other arms as the Central Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, specify to be prohibited arms.	Prohibited ammunition as defined in Sec. 2 (h) and such other articles as the Central Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, specify to be prohibited ammunition.
	(b) [Semi- automatic fire-arms, other than those included in categories I (c) and III (a), smooth bore guns having barrel of less than 20” in length.	Ammunition for arms of Category I (b).
	(c ) Blot action or semi-automatic rifles of  303 or 7.62 mm. bore or any other bore which can chamber and fire service ammunition of .303 or 7.62 mm caliber; muskets of .410” bore or any other bore which can fire .410 musket ammunition; pistols, revolvers or carbines of any bore which can chamber 380” or .455” rimmed cartridges or service 9 mm or 445 rimless cartridges. ]	Ammunition for fire arms of category 1 (c )
	(d) Accessories for any fire-arms designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash caused by the firing thereof.	Nil.

6. For the recovery or use of the prohibited arms or ammunitions, the penal provisions viz; section 25 (1-A), 25 (1-AA), 26 (2) 26 (3) and 27 (2) of the Arms Act are applicable, which are as follows;

? Section 25 (1-A) runs inter-alia, “Whoever acquires, has in his possession or carries any prohibited arms or prohibited ammunition in contravention of section 7 Arms Act shall be punishable with imprisonment for term which shall not be less than five years but which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine.”

? 25(1-AA) Arms Act reads as, “whoever manufactures, sells, transfers, converts, repairs, tests or proves, or exposes or offe