MUMBAI: Bombay high court on Friday asked the state government to provide its police officers with automatic pistols instead of outdated revolvers."We are of the view that revolvers have become outdated and most terrorists and the underworld use modern weapons ," said a bench headed by Justice Vidyasagar Kanade which heard a PIL for police reforms to improve the quality of investigations. On March 6 the HC lamented the "state of affairs" that has made Maharashtra police lag behind the world in respect of modern probe techniquesPublic prosecutor Sandeep Shinde informed that a meeting was held with the chief secretary with regard to several directions of the court in the matter. To the court's query, Shinde replied that old weapons like .302 rifles have been phased out and sub-inspectors and inspectors are given self-loading rifles, 9 mm pistols and .38 revolvers."Why do you need revolvers? .38 are pre-World War I revolvers," asked Justice Kanade. In the order the bench said, "These are practically antique weapons which have become obsolete and need to be replaced with pistols." The bench also directed the state to consider framing a policy for assured career progression for its persons working in the police department and to inform if they propose to do so.

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