 "Sofiya Qureshi, Operation Sindoor")
The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday criticised Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah for his controversial comments against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the Indian Army officers who briefed the media on Operation Sindoor. Shah had referred to Col Qureshi as a “sister of terrorists”, drawing sharp rebuke from the apex court.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and Justice A G Masih said, “What sort of statements are you making?” The court further added, “When the country is undergoing such a situation, you, being a minister and a constitutional position holder, should exercise a degree of restraint.”
Shah moves SC against MP High Court case
Shah had approached the apex court seeking a stay on the criminal proceedings initiated against him by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The high court had ordered the registration of a case against Shah on its own motion on Wednesday, prompting the minister to move the apex court.
The SC agreed to hear his plea on Friday. Representing Shah, senior advocate Vibha Dutta Makhija, along with advocate Shantanu Krishna, argued that the high court acted beyond its jurisdiction by initiating proceedings without giving Shah an opportunity to be heard.
The Bench, however, questioned Shah’s decision to skip the high court altogether. “Merely because someone is a minister, you come here?” the Bench asked. Makhija responded that Shah had issued an apology and urged the court to stay the case registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 152 (endangering sovereignty, integrity and unity of India), Section 196 (promoting enmity), and Section 197 (imputations prejudicial to national integration).
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High court condemns remarks
The Madhya Pradesh High Court had termed Shah’s remarks as “disparaging, dangerous, and language of the gutters”, stating that they targeted Colonel Qureshi based on her religion and demeaned the armed forces.
Makhija maintained that Shah’s comments were taken out of context and requested urgent relief to shield her client, especially as the high court was expected to proceed further with the case.
The apex court, however, assured that no immediate harm would come to Shah before Friday’s hearing. “By now, it would be known everywhere that this court is going to hear the matter tomorrow,” the Bench observed.
Political fallout and apology
The incident has ignited a political controversy, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge denouncing Shah’s comments as “shameful and vulgar”. In a post on X, Kharge accused the BJP and RSS of holding “anti-women” views.
“A minister of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has made extremely insulting, shameful and vulgar remarks about our brave daughter Colonel Sofiya Qureshi,” Kharge said. He called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dismiss Shah from office.
Kharge also referred to recent instances of online trolling and harassment of women linked to military or diplomatic officials. “First they trolled the wife of the naval officer martyred in Pahalgam, then harassed the daughter of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and now BJP ministers are making such indecent comments about our braveheart Sofiya Qureshi,” he said.
News reports stated that BJP’s state organisational secretary Hitanand Sharma reprimanded Shah during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Shah subsequently issued an apology.
His controversial comment, believed to be a reference to Colonel Qureshi, was: “Those who widowed our daughters, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson.”
Operation Sindoor briefing
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, had briefed the media following Operation Sindoor. The operation was carried out by India on 7 May in response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead. Indian forces struck nine terror targets across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), followed by air strikes on 11 military bases before a ceasefire was reached.
(With agency inputs)
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