New Delhi (National Times): The Supreme Court refused to admit a PIL demanding a judicial inquiry into the Pahalgam terror attack, strongly criticizing the petitioners for filing what it termed an ill-timed and demoralizing plea.
“Don’t try to weaken the morale of our security forces,” said Justice Surya Kant as he dismissed the petition filed by Junaid Mohd Junaid and two lawyers. “At this moment, the entire nation is united against terror. This is not the time for such prayer.”
The PIL sought to set up a commission led by a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the April 22 attack, in which 27 lives were lost. However, the bench rejected the idea, stating that retired judges are not investigators and courts must not overstep into administrative duties.
One petitioner attempted to withdraw the more controversial prayers in the petition and urged the court to instead focus on the safety of Kashmiri students who, he claimed, are being harassed post-attack.
While allowing withdrawal of the PIL, the court gave liberty to raise such student-related concerns before the appropriate High Court.
The original plea had also urged for an action plan to protect tourist zones in J&K and to ensure accurate media coverage to avoid panic or misinformation. But the top court dismissed these as premature and unnecessary during an ongoing national crisis.
The Supreme Court had earlier described the Pahalgam massacre as a “diabolical act of inhumanity”, in a joint resolution issued by its Full Court and endorsed by its Advocates-on-Record body.
