The Madhya Pradesh High Court has taken a tough stance against Cabinet Minister Vijay Shah for making a controversial statement about Colonel Sophia Qureshi. The Minister called Colonel Qureshi ‘sister of terrorist.’ The court has directed the DGP to register an FIR against Vijay Shah. Taking suo moto cognizance, the High Court stated that an FIR must be filed in this matter at all costs. The Minister is accused of prima facie offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. A division bench consisting of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla ruled that Section 152 of the BNS, which makes it illegal to do anything that jeopardises India's integrity, unity, or sovereignty, has established a prima facie crime. The bench also stated that the matter would be heard first thing tomorrow morning.
The judgment further ruled that the promotion of enmity between various groups on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, domicile, language, or caste constitutes a prima facie violation under Section 192 of the BNS. According to the Court, calling Colonel Qureshi, an Islamist, a "sister of terrorists" initially drew the section's attention.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi became the face of 'Operation Sindoor' after providing press briefings on the Indian Air Force's combat actions against terrorist installations in Pakistan. "Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters (in the Pahalgam terror attack)... we avenged these people by sending their sister to destroy them.... They (terrorists) made our sisters widows, so Modiji sent the sister of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson," Vijay Shah said on May 13, appealing to controversy.
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Reacting to Vijay Shah’s statement, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari said that Vijay Shah has insulted the army and doesn’t deserve to remain in the ministerial post even for a minute. The public is not happy with his statement. We have submitted an application regarding this to the Shyamla Hills Police Station and also written to Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
It is worth noting that Minister Vijay Shah’s remarks have sparked a major controversy. On May 14, a Congress delegation led by PCC Chief Jitu Patwari reached the Shyamla Hills Police Station. Congress has demanded that a case of sedition be filed against Vijay Shah. On May 15, Congress will also submit complaint applications at all police stations across Madhya Pradesh.