<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">On Thursday, the Supreme Court strongly reprimanded Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his controversial remarks targeting Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who had been briefing the media during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">A bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih emphasized the need for restraint, stating, &ldquo;Holding a constitutional position, you ought to have exercised restraint, especially given the sensitive situation the country faces.&rdquo;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The controversy began when Shah, while referring to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, described Colonel Qureshi as a &ldquo;sister from the same community&rdquo; as the attackers. He said, &ldquo;Those who widowed our daughters in Pahalgam, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson.&rdquo; These remarks sparked widespread outrage for their communal undertones and disrespect towards a serving Army officer.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In response to the backlash, the Madhya Pradesh High Court initiated suo motu proceedings and ordered the state&rsquo;s Director General of Police to register an FIR against Shah under Sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within four hours. The court also warned of contempt action in case of non-compliance. A division bench comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla observed that Shah&rsquo;s comments prima facie promoted enmity based on caste, religion, and language.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Following the High Court&rsquo;s order, Shah publicly apologized via a video message, expressing regret and reaffirming his respect for Colonel Qureshi and the armed forces. &ldquo;I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi has served the nation beyond caste and community,&rdquo; he said.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Subsequently, Shah moved the Supreme Court seeking to quash both the FIR and the suo motu proceedings initiated by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. While the Supreme Court agreed to hear his plea and consider a stay on the FIR during the hearing scheduled for Friday, it declined to halt the ongoing proceedings in the High Court.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Supreme Court&rsquo;s stern remarks underline the gravity of holding public office and the expectations for responsible speech, especially amid the country&rsquo;s sensitive security climate.</span></div>

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May 15, 2025 | 11:34 IST