The Madhya Pradesh High Court has quashed the cancellation of Bhopal Municipal Corporation councillor Mohd Saood’s arms licence and directed the Bhopal district magistrate to decide within 60 days whether his licence could legally be converted from the sports category to self-defence.
Justice M S Bhatti held that the cancellation order issued on April 2, 2026, could not be sustained because an earlier order dated March 18 allowing the category change had neither been set aside by a higher authority nor recalled by the authority that issued it. The court’s order was passed on October 8.
The court has directed the district magistrate to pass a reasoned order after Saood appears before the authority. It also said that a fresh licence under the appropriate category could be issued if he establishes his eligibility and demonstrates the need for it in accordance with the law.
According to Saood’s counsel, the councillor was initially granted an arms licence under the sports category. He later received a show-cause notice over his alleged failure to submit empty cartridges to the competent authority for updating official records. In his response, Saood said he required a licence for self-defence in addition to his sports-related entitlement, citing his political involvement and position as a municipal councillor.
A three-member committee subsequently recommended converting the licence from the sports category to self-defence. Acting on that recommendation, the district magistrate approved the conversion on March 18. The same committee later submitted another report stating that Saood was an inactive shooter who had not participated in national or international sporting events. It recommended cancellation of the licence, leading to the April 2 order.
Saood’s counsel argued that the cancellation order had ignored the earlier decision approving the category change, which remained operative. The state government, however, submitted that the licence was cancelled because Saood was found to be an inactive sportsperson and was not using the firearm or ammunition.
After hearing both sides, the High Court held that the later cancellation could not stand while the earlier order permitting the conversion remained in force. The court also questioned the legal basis for changing an arms licence from one category to another. It observed prima facie that neither the Arms Act nor the rules appeared to contain a provision expressly permitting such a conversion, while Section 17 of the Arms Act provided for variation of licence conditions.
The ruling does not itself grant Saood a permanent self-defence licence. Instead, it requires the district magistrate to examine whether the conversion was legally permissible and to determine the councillor’s eligibility and need under the applicable law. The authority must complete that process within 60 days of Saood’s appearance.
