New Delhi, May 1– The Supreme Court of India sharply criticised the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, which killed 26 people.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh dismissed the petition without expressing any opinion, reprimanding the petitioners for what it termed as an “irresponsible” move during a sensitive time.
“Be responsible. You owe some duty towards the country. Is this the way…? Please don’t do this,” the bench said, questioning the logic of assigning such an investigation to a retired judge. “Since when does a retired High Court or Supreme Court judge become an expert to investigate such issues (terrorism)?”
Justice Surya Kant emphasized the urgency and national unity required in the face of terrorism:
“This is the crucial hour where each and every citizen of this country has joined hands to fight terrorism. Don’t make any prayer which can demoralise a person. Look at the sensitivity of the issue.”
Following the rebuke, the petitioner, appearing in person, sought to withdraw the plea, with liberty to raise the issue of protecting Kashmiri students studying outside the region at the High Court level. The Supreme Court allowed the withdrawal but also noted that the matter of student safety was not originally included in the petition.
The plea, filed by Mohammad Junaid, along with Fatesh Kumar Sahu and Vicky Kumar, had also sought directives to enhance the safety of tourists in Jammu & Kashmir.