“You must be responsible. You have a duty towards the nation,” Justice Kant remarked.

The Supreme Court of India on Monday declined to entertain a PIL seeking a judicial commission to investigate the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 27 people, most of them tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.

In a strong rebuke to the petitioners, a bench led by Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh criticized the nature of the plea, calling it "irresponsible" and potentially demoralizing to the country's armed forces.

“You must be responsible. You have a duty towards the nation,” Justice Kant remarked. “Is this how we support our forces during a national crisis? Since when have retired judges become expert investigators?”

The court cautioned that such pleas, filed during a time of national grief and heightened security concern, could harm morale and distract from counter-terror operations. The judges reiterated that the judiciary’s role is to resolve legal disputes—not to oversee investigations.

At the request of the petitioners, including Junaid Mohd Junaid, Fatesh Kumar Sahu, and Vicky Kumar, the PIL was withdrawn with liberty to approach the High Court on specific issues, such as the alleged harassment of Kashmiri students studying outside J&K.

The petition also requested minimum security standards for vulnerable tourist locations and action plans by central agencies like the CRPF and NIA. It even sought media regulation through the Press Council of India to avoid incitement and promote responsible journalism.

Earlier, the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association and a Full Bench of the Court had issued statements condemning the attack, calling it an “affront to humanity” and a reminder of terrorism’s horrific toll.