'You should be shameful': SC slams minister for Col Sofiya Qureshi remark

The Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah for his controversial remarks targeting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a decorated officer of the Indian Army.

Calling the remarks “shameful", the court rejected Shah’s apology and ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by a woman officer, to probe the case registered against him.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said it had reviewed Shah’s apology and videos and found them "lacking in sincerity".

“The entire nation was in shame due to the comments… We saw your videos. You were on the verge of using very filthy language, but somehow better sense prevailed or you didn’t find the suitable words. You should be shameful. The entire country is proud of our Army and you made this statement,” Justice Kant said.

“What kind of apology was this? You should have simply admitted your mistake and apologised. But instead, you say ‘if’ you said this or that, then you apologise. This is not the way to seek an apology,” he added.

SIT ordered, woman officer to lead

The Supreme Court directed the Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police to form a three-member SIT headed by an Inspector General (IG) rank officer, with at least one woman officer.

The SIT must be constituted by 10 am on Tuesday and submit its first report by May 28.

An FIR was registered against Shah on May 14 in Indore district, following a suo motu order by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which condemned his use of “language of the gutters.”

Charges under BNS and political fallout

The FIR cites Sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including offences related to promoting enmity, making inflammatory statements, and actions endangering India’s sovereignty and unity.

Shah had made the remarks on May 12 following the Indian Army's Operation Sindoor. Without naming Col Qureshi directly, he said, “You widowed sisters of our community, so a sister of your community will strip you naked. Modi ji proved that the daughters of your community can be sent to Pakistan to take revenge.”

Following widespread backlash, Shah issued a statement saying he was ready to “apologise 10 times” if his remarks had hurt anyone and added that he respected Col Qureshi “more than his sister".

The Bench rejected his defence. “Being a public representative, the minister ought to have led by example and used every single word sensibly,” it said.