New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a petition demanding a judicial inquiry into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. The plea, filed by advocate Hatesh Kumar Sahu, was firmly dismissed by a bench led by Justice Surya Kant, which criticized the petitioner for what it called an “irresponsible” approach during a critical national moment.
“This is a time when the entire country stands united against terrorism. Filing such petitions only serves to demoralize our security forces,” the bench stated, according to Hindustan Times. The court emphasized the importance of national solidarity in the face of terror and took strong exception to questioning the efforts of law enforcement agencies.
When Sahu clarified that he had no intention of undermining the morale of the armed forces, the bench retorted sharply: “You have a responsibility to the nation. Is this how you choose to show it?”
The court also took issue with the petition’s request for a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the incident. “Since when have judges become experts in criminal investigation? Judges are meant to decide disputes, not conduct probes,” the bench remarked.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the central government, backed the court’s stance, stating that such pleas have no place in the courtroom and only distract from the real efforts underway to deal with the threat.
The Pahalgam attack, perpetrated by terrorists linked to The Resistance Front (TRF)—an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba—was marked by chilling brutality. Victims were reportedly forced to recite Islamic verses and undergo religious profiling before being executed in front of their families.
The government has since launched an intensive investigation and counter-terror operations, with the Prime Minister granting the armed forces full operational freedom in responding to the attack.
