The Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh is directed to constitute the SIT by 10 a.m. tomorrow i.e., 20.05.2025. The SIT shall be headed by an officer not below the rank of Inspector General of Police and the remaining two members shall also be in the rank of Superintendent of Police or above. The investigation of the subject FIR shall be entrusted to the SIT forthwith. The petitioner is directed to join and fully cooperate with the investigation: Supreme Court in its order on Monday hearing a petition filed by Tribal Affairs minister Vijay Shah
Bhopal: Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh Kailash Makwana faces another tough task within a short span of time. This time, he has been directed by Supreme Court to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) by 10 am on Tuesday to probe Tribal Affairs minister Vijay Shah’s alleged disparaging remarks against Colonel Sofia Qureshi.
Earlier, on May 14, taking suo moto cognizance of the minister’s remarks High Court, Jabalpur bench had directed the DGP to lodge an immediate first information report (FIR) against Shah who had allegedly termed Colonel Sofia Qureshi as a ‘sister of terrorists’ in his speech in a public meeting at village Raikunda in Mhow on May 12. However, in the next hearing HC was not pleased the way FIR was lodged by the police station concerned.
The Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Suryakant and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh said in its order on Vijay Shah’s petition on Monday, “Having gone through the contents of the statement attributed to the petitioner and also the contents of the apology, purported to have been tendered by him, we are satisfied that the subject FIR requires to be investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Such SIT shall comprise of three senior directly recruited IPS officers of the Madhya Pradesh cadre but who otherwise do not belong to the State of Madhya Pradesh. We are further of the opinion that out of the three officers, one should be a woman IPS officer.”
The Court said, “The Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh is directed to constitute the SIT by 10 a.m. tomorrow i.e., 20.05.2025. The SIT shall be headed by an officer not below the rank of Inspector General of Police and the remaining two members shall also be in the rank of Superintendent of Police or above. The investigation of the subject FIR shall be entrusted to the SIT forthwith. The petitioner is directed to join and fully cooperate with the investigation….”
However, giving a relief to Shah the Supreme Court stayed his arrest saying, “Subject thereto, as of now, any coercive action in the subject FIR, including arrest, shall remain stayed.”
The Court further observed, “Following the settled law, however, we are not inclined to monitor the ongoing investigation. However, given the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case, we direct the SIT to submit
status reports, the first of which may be filed by 28.05.2025.”
The Court order next hearing on the case on May 28, 2025.
As per barandbench.com the Court was not pleased with Shah’s apology saying, “The kind of crass comments you made, completely thoughtlessly… We don’t need this apology.”
The Court also remarked on the manner in which Vijay Shah tendered his apology saying, “You are saying ‘if’ I have done.”
The Court also questioned the state’s role in the case asking what it has done in the case after the FIR was registered; did the SHO examine what kind of offense was made out in the case and what was its status?
Notably, Vijay Shah stoked a major controversy on May 12 leading to a nationwide outrage over his remarks after a video of his speech went viral on social media in which he was heard saying the Prime Minister had given a befitting reply to terrorists and got them exposed through ‘their own sister’.
Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh became face of the Armed Forces after they appeared before media persons to brief them on Operation Sindoor launched to give a befitting reply to terrorists and their patrons after Pahalgam terror attack that happened on April 22.
The high court bench consisting of Justice Atul Shreedharan and Justice Anuradha Shukla observed on May 14, “A sitting minister of the Madhya Pradesh Government, whose name is Mr. Vijay Shah, has used scurrilous language, against a senior official of the Indian Army.”
The bench said, “The armed forces, perhaps the last institution existing in this country, reflecting integrity, industry, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, character, honour and indomitable courage with which any citizen of this country who values the same can identify themselves with, has been targeted by Mr. Vijay Shah who has used the language of the gutters against Col. Sofia Quraishi.”
The bench also said, “It must be mentioned here that Col. Sofia Quraishi, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, were the face of 1 WP-17913-2025 the armed forces briefing the media and the nation of the progress of operation “Sindoor” launched by our armed forces against Pakistan.”
High court said at that public function, he (Vijay Shah) had referred to Col. Sofia Quraishi as the sister of the terrorists who carried out the killings of 26 innocent Indians at Pahalgam. Further, the newspaper reports and a plethora of digital material available on the internet in which the speech of the minister was clear and unequivocal, where he had referred to the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, for having sent the sister of the terrorists to sort them out. “His comments are disparaging and dangerous, not just to the officer in question but to the armed forces itself…”
