$~84 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI # CNR No. DLHC010426752026 + CRL.M.C. 6688/2026 SATPAL JAGLAN .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Vikas Kr. Gautam, Adv. along with petitioner versus STATE OF NCT OF DELHI .....Respondent Through: Mr. Satish Kumar APP for the State with SI Sunita, PS: IGI Airport CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SAURABH BANERJEE O R D E R % 09.09.2026 1. By virtue of the present petition under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) the petitioner seeks quashing of FIR No.05/2022 dated 17.02.2022 registered at PS.: I.G.I. Airport, New Delhi under Sections 30 of the Arms Act, 1959 (Arms Act) and all proceedings emanating therefrom. 2. Succinctly put, as per prosecution two live cartridges (0.32 MM) were recovered from the baggage of the petitioner at I.G.I. Airport, New Delhi on 17.02.2022 while he was travelling from Delhi to Rajkot on board Flight 6E-184. Upon enquiry, it was found that the petitioner was not having a valid license/ document to carry the aforesaid ammunitions. Hence, the present FIR. 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner primarily submits that the petitioner is a License holder of Pistol being Licence No. LN 13253A7A4D318/973/V/P/2018, which was/ is valid and subsisting at the time of the occurrence of the incident. Moreover, it the petitioner’s case This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 14/09/2026 at 16:07:35 that he was absolutely unaware of the fact that there were two live cartridges in his luggage and in fact, neither had the knowledge and/ or intend to carry the same. Based thereon, learned counsel for petitioner seeks quashing of the present FIR. 4. Per contra, learned APP submits that he has no objection to the quashing of the present FIR. 5. Heard and perused. 6. The present is a case wherein only two live cartridges (0.32 MM) were recovered from the baggage of the petitioner at I.G.I. Airport, New Delhi, while he was travelling from Delhi to Rajkot on board Flight 6E- 184, which, considering the prior antecedents of the applicant who is admittedly a first-time offender, was by sheer coincidence and without any intention. The petitioner is a farmer who is farming his lands and since he has never been involved in such activities, he is a first time offender. Under such a scenario, the covert and/ or overt criminal act on his part, more so since cannot be attributed to the petitioner, more so, since he was/ is a valid and subsisting License holder for a Pistol. 7. In fact, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Sanjay Dutt vs. State:(1994) 5 SCC 402 has held that ‘possession’ must have a mental element and be accompanied by consciousness/ awareness in order to be culpable. Thereafter, this Court has also, under similar circumstances, in W.P.(CRL) 2143/2019 entitled ‘Sh. Surinder Kumar @ Surinder Kumar Singh vs. The State of (G.N.C.T. of Delhi) & Anr.; W.P.(CRL) 1975/2019 entitled ‘Aruna Chaudhary vs. State & Ors.’; and W.P. (Crl.) 1681/2020 entitled ‘Baljit Fantu vs. State, Govt. of NCT Delhi and Ors.’, quashed the FIRs therein. This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 14/09/2026 at 16:07:35 8. Accordingly, in view of the aforesaid the present petition is allowed. 9. As such, FIR No.05/2022 dated 17.02.2022 registered at PS.: I.G.I. Airport, New Delhi under Sections 30 of the Arms Act and all proceedings emanating therefrom are hereby quashed. 10. However, since the present FIR was pending for more than four (4) years and the police machinery was put in motion, the petitioner is directed to deposit costs of Rs.25,000/- (Twenty Five Thousand Only) with the Delhi High Court Staff Welfare Fund [A/C 15530110074442; IFSC UCBA0001553] within a period of two weeks from today. 11. Needless to say, the petitioner shall also furnish proof thereof before the Registry within a period of one week from the date of such payment. 12. As such, the present petition is disposed of in the aforesaid terms. SAURABH BANERJEE, J SEPTEMBER 9, 2026/Ab This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 14/09/2026 at 16:07:35