MP minister Vijay Shah moves Supreme Court after HC orders FIR over ‘gutter language’ against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi

NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah moved Supreme Court on Thursday after the Madhya Pradesh high court took suo motu cognisance of his remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a senior Indian Army officer who was among the public faces of Operation Sindoor briefing. The Indore bench of the high court, in a strongly worded order on Wednesday, directed the state DGP to immediately register an FIR against Shah under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), warning that failure to comply would result in contempt proceedings. The FIR is to be filed under BNS Sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), 196(1)(b) (promoting enmity on grounds of religion) and 197(a)(c) (outraging modesty or character of a woman through speech), with immediate effect. A division bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla noted that Shah’s comments were made at a public event in Raikunda village, Mhow, on Monday and were directed against Col Qureshi through “a nauseating remark” delivered “by way of an innuendo which can refer to none other than her alone.” “This court has been compelled to take up this matter suo motu on account of an incident published in various newspapers and digital media networks that has taken place at a public function at village Raikunda in Ambedkar Nagar, at Mhow, on Monday. A sitting minister of Madhya Pradesh govt, whose name is Vijay Shah, has used scurrilous language against a senior official of the Indian Army,” the bench said. The judges underlined the significance of the armed forces, calling them “perhaps the last institution existing in this country” that continues to represent “integrity, industry, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, character, honour and indomitable courage” with which citizens can identify.“India’s armed forces have been targeted by Vijay Shah who has used the language of the gutters,” the court said, observing that the content of Shah’s speech was not ambiguous. “There are newspaper reports and a plethora of digital material on the internet in which the minister’s speech is clear and unequivocal… His comments are disparaging and dangerous not just to the officer in question but to the armed forces itself.” The bench said Shah’s words “encourage feelings of separatist activities… which endanger the sovereignty or unity and integrity of India”, thus satisfying the requirements under BNS Sec 152. It further said that Section 196(1)(b) would also apply, as “Col Qureshi is an adherent of Muslim faith.” Shah’s plea before the Supreme Court, challenging the high court’s direction, is expected to be taken up urgently.