Supreme Court Orders SIT Probe, Stays Arrest of Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah Over Controversial Remarks

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Monday directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegations against Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah. Shah is under legal scrutiny for his controversial remarks about Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.

In a slight relief to the minister, the Supreme Court bench, led by Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh, stayed his arrest and asked him to cooperate with the investigation. The bench was unimpressed by Shah’s apology and outright rejected it, stating, “He must face consequences. Let the law take its own course.” Vijay Shah had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order directing the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against him for his offensive remarks.

On Friday, due to lack of time, the bench led by Justice Surya Kant could not take up Shah’s special leave petition (SLP). At Shah’s request, the court scheduled the hearing for Monday. A day earlier, when Shah’s lawyer requested urgent hearing of the SLP, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai sharply criticized the minister for his remarks. “What kind of statement is this? A person holding constitutional office is expected to exercise restraint. Every word spoken by a minister carries responsibility,” the court said.

Shah’s senior advocate, Vibha Dutta Makhija, argued that the media had exaggerated the minister’s comments and emphasized that Shah had already apologized. Makhija sought an interim order preventing any coercive action against Shah under the FIR filed under Sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). However, the CJI-led bench did not pass any interim relief but agreed to hear the case on May 16. The court also advised Makhija to inform the Madhya Pradesh High Court about the Supreme Court listing.

On May 14, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the state’s Director General of Police to register a criminal case against Shah within four hours. The court warned the DGP of contempt proceedings if there was any delay. A bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla observed that there was a prima facie case against Shah for promoting enmity among different castes, religions, and languages.

The court said that Shah’s reference to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists” hurt the sentiments and faith of the Muslim community. Shah had made the remarks while talking about Operation Sindoor, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a “sister from the same community” as those in Pakistan to avenge the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.

“PM Modi is working for society. Those who widowed our daughters in Pahalgam, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson,” Shah had said. The derogatory comments against Colonel Qureshi, who was the face of the Indian Army’s media briefings during Operation Sindoor, sparked widespread outrage across the country.

Following the backlash, Vijay Shah issued an apology, saying he respected the armed forces and had meant to refer to Colonel Qureshi as a “sister.”

In a video message posted on social media platform X, Shah said, “I, Vijay Shah, am deeply ashamed and saddened by my recent statement, which hurt the sentiments of every community. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. Our country’s sister Sofiya Qureshi ji has served the nation beyond caste and community while fulfilling her national duty.”

In his petition before the Supreme Court, Shah requested the quashing of both the FIR and the suo motu proceedings initiated by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The case remains under close judicial scrutiny as the investigation proceeds.