NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is set to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Friday, demanding a high-level judicial inquiry into the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 people dead, including 25 tourists and one local resident. The petition also seeks urgent institutional reforms to secure tourist and pilgrimage destinations in the conflict-prone region.
The PIL has been filed by Junaid Mohd Junaid, a social activist from Anantnag district in south Kashmir, and two Delhi-based lawyers, Fatesh Kumar Sahu and Vicky Kumar. The trio has asked the apex court to direct the Centre to constitute a judicial commission headed by a retired judge to independently investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack. The petitioners allege that gross security lapses enabled the assault and that a proper fact-finding mission is essential to restore public confidence.
The attack occurred in the Baisaran valley near Pahalgam when four to five gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists. The Resistance Force (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the ambush. The incident triggered shock and outrage, especially over allegations that no security personnel were present at the popular hill destination at the time of the attack.
The petition calls for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify lapses, assign accountability, and bring the perpetrators and enablers to justice. It also urges the court to direct the Central government, the Jammu and Kashmir administration, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to formulate an urgent action plan that addresses tourist safety across the Union Territory.
The suggested plan includes deployment of real-time surveillance infrastructure, improved coordination among intelligence agencies, and the establishment of rapid response units at all major tourist and pilgrimage sites. “The lack of a coordinated security strategy continues to make civilians soft targets,” the petitioners argued.
The litigants have also asked the court to direct the Press Council of India to ensure only “accurate and fair” reporting on such incidents to preserve societal peace and prevent the spread of misinformation that may inflame tensions in the already sensitive region.
Fatesh Kumar Sahu and Vicky Kumar, both practising advocates in Delhi, said in a joint statement that their participation in the PIL stemmed from growing public concern over the vulnerability of civilians in tourist hotspots like Pahalgam. “We believe national security and citizen safety must be above politics. The Pahalgam attack is a grave national failure that warrants a fair and transparent probe,” they said.
