‘Understand sensibilities’: Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking improved tourist safety in hilly areas

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking improved safety and security measures for tourists visiting hilly areas during summer vacations. The plea, filed by Advocate Vishal Tiwari, specifically flagged the issue of the safety of tourists from terrorist attacks in such areas.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh, however, took a dim view of the plea and termed it as a litigation filed for seeking publicity. The bench, however, fell short of imposing costs on Tiwari after having warned him about the same.

“Mr Tiwari, last time also we advised you (not to file such PILs seeking publicity). You don’t understand the sensitivity. Who is motivating you to file this kind of PILs. You don’t understand any sensibilities, you don’t realise your responsibility…I think you are inviting some orders (from us) with exemplary costs. You want to be the type of persons who files such types of PILs”.

The Court dismissed the plea after Tiwari sought permission to withdraw it. The plea had been filed in the light of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed and several were injured.

The plea stated that there is a lack of safety programmes and guidelines/awareness for tourists and for other people with regard to “how to protect themselves from such attacks, how to get immediate help and how to hide when attacked”. (ANI)