The Supreme Court of India on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought enhanced security for tourists visiting remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir, and sharply criticised the petitioner, advocate Vishal Tiwari, for filing the plea.
The petition came in the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow on April 22, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people—most of them tourists. The incident is regarded as one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the Kashmir Valley in recent years.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh rejected the plea, stating that it appeared to be motivated by a desire for publicity rather than a genuine concern for public interest. The court reprimanded Tiwari for what it described as a lack of understanding of the sensitive nature of the issue.
“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,” Justice Surya Kant said, according to a report.
Tiwari defended his decision to file the petition, arguing that this was the first time tourists had been specifically targeted in Jammu and Kashmir, and that his intention was to seek preventive measures to ensure their safety in the future.
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However, the bench was not convinced by his reasoning. The court observed that Tiwari had been filing multiple PILs, many of which, it claimed, lacked substance and appeared to be more about gaining media attention than addressing genuine public concerns.
In its official order, the court stated, “The petitioner is indulging in filing one after the other PIL in which the primary aim appears to be to get publicity with no real interest in the public cause.”
The PIL was filed in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which targeted tourists visiting the popular Baisaran meadow. Along with the tourists, one local resident was also killed. The attack has not only shocked the region but also escalated diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan.
In reaction to the incident, the Indian government suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan and ordered all Pakistani nationals residing in India to return to their country, marking a significant shift in bilateral relations following the tragedy.
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