New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) The Supreme Court and its registry on Wednesday observed two minutes' silence to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the horrific terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.  At the appointed time of 2 p.m., the apex court judges, lawyers, court staff and all other persons present stood up and observed two minutes silence. To indicate the commencement of two minutes' silence, the siren sounded in the top court from 1.59 p.m. till 2.00 p.m., and after the two minutes' silence was over, an "all clear siren" was again sounded for a minute.

"The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and its Registry will observe two minutes' silence today, i.e., 23 April, 2025, at 2.00 p.m. to pay tribute to, and in the memory of, those who lost their lives on account of the act of terrorism in Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir," said a circular issued by the top court earlier in the day. In a related development, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court in respect to the safety and security of people from terrorist attacks who visit tourist places, especially the hilly areas and remote destinations.

The petition said that there exists a lack of safety programmes and guidelines for tourists and the general public on how to save themselves when there is a terrorist attack, how to get immediate help and how to hide themselves when attacked. The PIL stressed that the Centre and state governments will have to take steps to deploy adequate security for the tourists who visit remote hilly areas and valleys, especially during the summer season. It added that tourists in Pahalgam were an easy target for the terrorists as those innocent people were unarmed and without any security.

The terror attack unfolded on Tuesday in the Baisaran Valley near the tourist town of Pahalgam. According to eyewitness accounts, a group of heavily armed terrorists emerged from the nearby forests around 2.30 p.m. and opened indiscriminate fire on civilians, most of whom were tourists. The sudden and brutal assault left at least 26 dead, including an Intelligence officer, and dozens injured.

/IANS