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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (July 28) slammed Madhya Pradesh minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over not issuing a public apology over his remarks made against Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and said his conduct was making the court doubt his intentioned and bonafide.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, while pulling up the Madhya Pradesh minister for not issuing public apology over his remarks, said that he is testing the patience of the court.
The counsel appearing for Shah told the bench that the minister had issued a public apology, which was online, and the same would be placed on the record of the court.
The bench asked the special investigation team (SIT) constituted on its order to probe the statements made by Shah to submit its report by August 13.
The bench also refused to examine a plea filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur seeking Shah’s removal for his objectionable remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who briefed the media along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh on ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7. It, however, said that some of the allegations made in the writ petition filed by Thakur about the past instances would be looked into by the SIT.
The court has posted the matter for further hearing on August 18.
The top court earlier on May 28 closed the suo motu proceedings pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court over Shah’s remarks made against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and also ordered continuation of interim order staying the arrest of Shah in the case.
The apex court earlier, while hearing Shah’s plea against the High Court order directing registration of First Information Report (FIR) against him over his statement calling Colonel Sophia Qureshi a “sister of terrorists”, slammed him for his statement and constituted a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to investigate the issue.
The apex court earlier had slammed Shah over his alleged remarks made against Colonel Sofia Qureshi and had rejected the apology tendered by him and had wondered if “they were crocodile tears or an attempt to wriggle out of the legal proceedings”.
An FIR was registered against Shah after the High Court, which took suo motu cognisance of his statement against Colonel Sofia Qureshi. ordered registration of an FIR against him on the charge of promoting enmity and hatred for passing "scurrilous" remarks and using "language of the gutters" against Colonel Sofia Qureshi.
