SC Orders SIT Probe into FIR Against MP Minister Vijay Shah Over Derogatory Remarks

NEW DELHI- The Supreme Court of India, on Monday, directed the formation of a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his alleged derogatory and communal remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a senior Indian Army officer who briefed the media during Operation Sindoor.

The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, rejected Shah’s public apology, terming it “insincere” and akin to “crocodile tears,” while emphasizing that the remarks brought “shame to the entire nation.”

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The controversy stems from Shah’s statements made at a public event in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, on May 12, 2025, where he referred to Colonel Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists” and implied that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent “a sister from their community” to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indian civilians on April 22, 2025.

The remarks, widely circulated on social media, sparked national outrage for their communal and sexist undertones, prompting the Madhya Pradesh High Court to take suo motu cognizance and order an FIR on May 14 under sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which address offenses like endangering national unity and promoting enmity between groups.

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The Supreme Court’s order came while hearing Shah’s plea challenging the High Court’s directive. The bench criticized the Madhya Pradesh government for its inaction, noting that the High Court had to intervene to ensure the FIR was registered and later to rectify its “deficient” drafting, which the High Court described as a “gross subterfuge” designed to potentially allow Shah to quash the case later. Justice Kant questioned the state’s counsel, asking, “When the High Court had to virtually rewrite your FIR, what have you done?”

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The SIT, to be constituted by the Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police by May 20, 2025, will consist of three senior IPS officers from outside the state, including at least one woman officer, to ensure impartiality. The Court directed Shah to cooperate fully with the investigation, staying his arrest on this condition.

The SIT is required to submit a status report, with the matter listed for further hearing on May 28, 2025. The bench warned against politicizing the issue, stating, “He must face consequences. Let the law take its own course.”