The Supreme Court on Monday, April 5, dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking enhanced safety measures for tourists in the aftermath of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh, strongly criticized the petitioner, advocate Vishal Tiwari, stating that the plea appeared to be driven by a desire for publicity rather than any genuine concern for public welfare.
“Why have you filed this kind of PIL? What is your real motive? Don’t you understand the sensitivity of the issue? I think you are inviting some exemplary cost for filing this PIL,” remarked Justice Surya Kant during the hearing.
The petitioner argued that this was the first instance of tourists being directly targeted in the region, and he was therefore seeking judicial directions to bolster their safety. However, the court found the PIL lacking in substance and merit.
In its order, the bench observed, “The petitioner is indulging in filing one after another PIL, where the primary intent seems to be gaining media attention rather than genuinely addressing a public cause.”
The case was filed in response to the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran, a well-known tourist destination in the Pahalgam region of Anantnag district, where terrorists opened fire, killing 26 people – most of them tourists from other states. The attack escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, with PM Narendra Modi vowing to track down those responsible “to the ends of the earth.”
