Supreme Court rejects MP minister Vijay Shah's apology for communal remarks against Col Sofiya Qureshi
PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Monday strongly criticised Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah for making offensive and communal remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a senior Army officer involved in Operation Sindoor. The court rejected Shah’s apology, calling it insincere and stating it amounted to nothing more than "crocodile tears."
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi was among three Army officers who recently briefed the media about Operation Sindoor. During a public speech, minister Shah made a highly controversial and communal comment referring to her background. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chosen "a sister from the same community" as those behind the Pahalgam Terror Attack to take revenge. He added, “Those who widowed our daughters, we sent a sister from their own community to teach them a lesson,” drawing applause from the crowd.
Continuing his inflammatory speech, Shah compared the situation to the way terrorists had identified and targeted people based on religion, saying, “Modi ji could not do the same, so he sent a sister from their society, so that if you widow our sisters, a sister of yours will come and undress you.”
The Supreme Court was visibly disturbed by the language and tone used by the minister. A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said Shah's words were “crass and completely thoughtless,” especially coming from a public figure and senior politician. The court remarked, “You were at the verge of using abusive and filthy language. You only stopped because you couldn’t find the right word. This is unacceptable.”
Calling Shah's apology fake and lacking sincerity, the Bench said, “We don’t need your apology. We know how to deal with this under the law.” The judges also stressed that leaders in positions of power must uphold higher standards of conduct.
In a significant move, the Supreme Court ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the FIR registered against Shah. The SIT will consist of three senior IPS officers, and the court specifically directed that at least one member must be a woman.
The court described Vijay Shah’s speech “the most unfortunate statement” and emphasised that ministers must maintain dignity and responsibility in their public behaviour.
- PTC NEWS
