The Crossbill Team
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 28) extended its interim protection from arrest to BJP minister Kunwar Vijay Shah in a case filed by Madhya Pradesh police over his controversial remarks targeting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.
The court also directed the closure of suo motu proceedings initiated by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, stating that with the apex court already examining the matter, no parallel proceedings should continue.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta passed the order while hearing the case concerning Shah’s misogynistic and communal remarks made against Colonel Qureshi, one of the key spokespersons during the briefings on Operation Sindoor.
“Let High Court close the proceedings in view of case here. Let there shall be no parallel proceedings," the Court said, according to Bar and Bench.
The comments made by Shah had drawn widespread condemnation, prompting the High Court to take suo motu cognisance and order a criminal case against the minister.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, informed the court that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three officers — as per the court’s suggestion — has begun investigating Shah’s remarks.
The Supreme Court took note of a status report filed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bhopal, and granted additional time to complete the probe. The bench was also informed that Shah’s mobile phone had been seized as part of the investigation.
Earlier, the top court had rejected Shah’s apology, calling his comments shameful.
“The entire nation is ashamed of you. It is up to you how you redeem yourself,” the court had said, refusing to accept the minister’s expression of regret, reported Bar and Bench.
“The kind of crass comments you made, completely thoughtlessly… We don’t need this apology,” the bench had remarked during the previous hearing.
Kunwar Vijay Shah, a cabinet minister in the Madhya Pradesh government and sitting Lok Sabha MP, had made inflammatory remarks against Colonel Qureshi at a public gathering.
Referring to her Muslim identity, Shah alluded to her as a “sister of terrorists,” claiming that “those who wiped out the vermilion of our daughters, we avenged them by sending their sister to destroy them.”
His remarks were made in the context of the Pahalgam terror attack, where he claimed the government had avenged the assault on “our daughters” by deploying “their sister.”
The Supreme Court’s intervention has paused Shah’s arrest while the SIT continues its probe under judicial oversight.
The court also directed the closure of suo motu proceedings initiated by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, stating that with the apex court already examining the matter, no parallel proceedings should continue.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta passed the order while hearing the case concerning Shah’s misogynistic and communal remarks made against Colonel Qureshi, one of the key spokespersons during the briefings on Operation Sindoor.
“Let High Court close the proceedings in view of case here. Let there shall be no parallel proceedings," the Court said, according to Bar and Bench.
The comments made by Shah had drawn widespread condemnation, prompting the High Court to take suo motu cognisance and order a criminal case against the minister.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, informed the court that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three officers — as per the court’s suggestion — has begun investigating Shah’s remarks.
The Supreme Court took note of a status report filed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bhopal, and granted additional time to complete the probe. The bench was also informed that Shah’s mobile phone had been seized as part of the investigation.
Earlier, the top court had rejected Shah’s apology, calling his comments shameful.
“The entire nation is ashamed of you. It is up to you how you redeem yourself,” the court had said, refusing to accept the minister’s expression of regret, reported Bar and Bench.
“The kind of crass comments you made, completely thoughtlessly… We don’t need this apology,” the bench had remarked during the previous hearing.
Kunwar Vijay Shah, a cabinet minister in the Madhya Pradesh government and sitting Lok Sabha MP, had made inflammatory remarks against Colonel Qureshi at a public gathering.
Referring to her Muslim identity, Shah alluded to her as a “sister of terrorists,” claiming that “those who wiped out the vermilion of our daughters, we avenged them by sending their sister to destroy them.”
His remarks were made in the context of the Pahalgam terror attack, where he claimed the government had avenged the assault on “our daughters” by deploying “their sister.”
The Supreme Court’s intervention has paused Shah’s arrest while the SIT continues its probe under judicial oversight.
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