Today, On 19th May, Supreme Court rejects the apology of BJP Minister Vijay Shah over his remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. The court has ordered an SIT probe while putting a stay on his immediate arrest.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah’s apology for his derogatory and communal remarks aimed at a woman officer in the armed forces following Operation Sindoor.
Justice Surya Kant criticized the apology, labeling Shah’s comments as “crass” and emphasizing the need for sensible and responsible speech.
Mean While the Court said,
“We are constituting a SIT with three IPS officers and one should be the rank of IG or DGP rank. All of them should be [from] outside the State. It is a litmus test and we want the state to submit the SIT report to us. We would like to have a very close watch,”
Justice Surya Kant remarked,
“Where is that apology? What is that apology? What kind of apology have you tendered? There is some meaning of apology! Sometimes people use docile language only to wriggle out of proceeding! And sometimes they shed crocodile tears! What kind of apology is yours?”
During the hearing, the Court scrutinized Shah’s apology, stating that he had not committed any contempt of court that would warrant an apology for his remarks.
The Court remarked, suggesting it was merely an attempt to evade consequences,
“The kind of crass comments you made, completely thoughtlessly… We don’t need this apology,”
The Court further pointed out that Shah had been publicly exposed, and he should have been wise enough to take responsibility for his actions.
Justice Surya Kant noted,
“You are saying ‘if’ I have done,”
The Court also questioned the State’s inaction regarding the matter.
Adding that the State should have taken something more by now, it asked,
“What have you done after registering the FIR? Has he [SHO] examined what kind of offence is made out? What is the status?”
On May 15, the High Court reprimanded the State for drafting the FIR in a manner that could potentially lead to its dismissal for not explicitly outlining the actions of the accused.
The Court directed that its May 14 order be included as part of the FIR for all judicial, quasi-judicial, and investigative purposes.
Shah sparked controversy with his reported comment, “Those who widowed our daughters, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson,” which was widely interpreted as a veiled reference to Colonel Qureshi.
On May 14, the Madhya Pradesh High Court initiated a suo motu case against him and directed the registration of a criminal case.
The Court described his comments as disparaging and dangerous, not only to the officer involved but to the armed forces as a whole. It criticized Shah for using the “language of the gutters” by allegedly referring to Colonel Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists.”
Following the High Court’s order, an FIR was registered against Shah on May 14 under Sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following significant criticism, the BJP minister expressed his willingness to apologize multiple times if his comments had caused any hurt, emphasizing that he respected Col. Qureshi more than his own sister.
Today, the Supreme Court issued a notice on Shah’s petition and ordered that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will investigate the matter.
The Court ordered,
“Having gone through the statements by the petitioner and the FIR, we are of the opinion that the subject FIR shall be probed by a SIT with three senior IPS officers who do not belong to the MP cadre but are in MP. Let the SIT be constituted by tomorrow. Let one member be a woman officer. Both members shall be above the rank of superintendent of police. The head member shall not be below the rank of IG or DGP. Let the petitioner co-operate. As of now, his arrest shall remain stayed. Though we are not inclined to monitor the probe, in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, we direct the SIT to submit the outcome of its probe through a status report before this court. The first report shall be filed and the case be taken up in the first week of vacations,”
Case Title: Kunwar Vijay Shah Versus The High Court Of Madhya Pradesh And Ors., Diary No. 27093-2025