NEW DELHI, May 19 The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the apology of Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his derogatory remarks against Colonel Sofia Qureshi, the Army officer who led India’s briefings during Operation Sindoor, and ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.
“We are constituting an SIT with three IPS officers, one of whom should be of the rank of IGP. All must be from outside Madhya Pradesh,” said a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh, directing the state DGP to form the SIT by Tuesday and submit its report to the court.
While staying Shah’s arrest for now, the court ordered him to cooperate with the probe. It also issued notice to the Madhya Pradesh government on the minister’s plea challenging a high court directive for FIR registration.
“The kind of crass comments you made, completely thoughtless… We don’t need this apology,” said Justice Kant, calling Shah’s remarks an embarrassment to the nation. “You are a public figure, a seasoned politician… Should we display your video here?” he asked, referring to the minister’s inflammatory speech against the Army officer.
Justice Kant noted that Shah had come close to using “abusive, very filthy language” in the video but stopped short at the last moment. “Media people are not going into the depth of your video. We will watch this matter closely,” the court warned.
Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Shah, claimed that the minister had already offered a public apology. But the Bench was unconvinced.
“What kind of apology? Crocodile tears? This is not an apology but an escape route,” said Justice Kant. “You said, ‘If someone is hurt…’ You’re not even ready to own responsibility. We reject your apology.”
The court posted the matter for hearing on May 28 and said the SIT must submit its report by then.
Read more: Communal Poision: Warring on Col Sofiya Qureshi Remarks
