New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear the plea of Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah on Friday, challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against him.
The High Court had taken cognisance of Shah’s remarks directed at Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the Indian Army officer who briefed the media regarding Operation Sindoor. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before the Bench of the Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, and Justice George Augustine Masih.
The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the sense of responsibility of Madhya Pradesh Minister Shah, who reportedly made derogatory remarks about Colonel Qureshi.
“What sort of statements are you making… A responsible Minister of the government, that too when the country Is undergoing such a situation… A person holding a Constitutional office is expected to exercise a degree of restraint. Every sentence uttered by a Minister must be with a sense of responsibility,” Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai reproached Shah’s remarks about the woman officer.
Shah, represented by senior advocate Vibha Dutta Makhija, has moved the Supreme Court for a stay of a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him on the orders of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The apex court agreed to hear his case on May 16, 2025.
The apex court advised the Minister’s lawyers to inform the High Court, which had listed the case on May 15, about the May 16 hearing. The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the comments made by the Minister. Makhija, in an oral mentioning for early hearing, submitted that the comments were “unfortunately over-hyped” by the media.
The Minister was not given an opportunity to be heard by the High Court before it passed the order to the police to register an FIR. She argued that the High Court might have exceeded its jurisdiction. At that point, Chief Justice Gavai asked why the Minister should approach the Supreme Court directly, and not fight his case in the High Court itself.
“Somebody is a Minister, so it should be entertained here?” Chief Justice Gavai asked Makhija. The senior lawyer said Shah has publicly expressed remorse, and she had a recording of it.
On Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the Director General of Police (DGP) to register a criminal case against Shah within four hours and warned the DGP of contempt action in case of any delay in compliance.
A bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla of the Madhya Pradesh High Court said that prima facie, an offence of promoting enmity between different castes, religion and language was made out.
The Justice Sreedharan-led Bench opined that referring to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as a “sister of terrorists” is an offence of hurting the sentiments and faith of the Muslim community.
Talking about Operation Sindoor, Vijay Shah, on Monday, had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a “sister from the same community” as those in Pakistan to avenge the April 22 terror strike in Kashmir’s Pahalgam. “PM Modi is striving for the society. Those who widowed our daughters (in Pahalgam), we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson,” Shah had said.
The distasteful remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the Indian Army officer who briefed the media throughout Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, sparked nationwide outrage. Following the incident, the Minister apologised from the “bottom of his heart” and said he respects the Armed Forces and mentioned Colonel Sofiya as “sister”.
“I, Vijay Shah, am not only ashamed and saddened by my recent statement, which has hurt the sentiments of every community, but I also apologise from the bottom of my heart. Our country’s sister Sofia Qureshi ji has worked rising above caste and society while fulfilling her national duty,” he said in a video message posted on the social media platform X.
In his petition filed before the Top Court, Shah sought quashing of the FIR as well as the suo motu proceedings initiated by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
