A sharp reality check arrived in the Chhattisgarh High Court this week—literally. Acting on the Court’s concern over the free flow of knives through local shops and online platforms, State police revealed they had already tracked down 193 individuals and seized 211 knives purchased through e-commerce sites.
The development follows the Court’s suo motu move last month, when it flagged a disturbing report that knives were being casually sold at paan shops, gift corners, and general stores—sales that, the Court noted, coincided with rising stabbing incidents.
Faced with the bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru, the police detailed their operation: repeated requests were sent to platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Shopclues, seeking names of customers who ordered non-kitchen knives. Once data rolled in, notices went out and seizures followed. Statements of all 193 recipients were recorded before the blades were taken into custody.
Numbers placed before the Court painted a grim backdrop—1,399 Arms Act cases registered in 2024 alone, with another 677 already logged in the first half of this year.
The bench didn’t mince words, calling the figures “alarming” yet acknowledging that steps were now being taken to shut down the free market in dangerous weapons. The Court expressed hope that the State would tighten its vigilance and ensure that easy access to such knives is curbed, with the matter slated to come up again on September 22 for further monitoring.
