Delhi, 28 May (H.S.): The Supreme Court concluded the suo motu proceedings pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court against BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his controversial remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who addressed the media during a recent military operation against Pakistan. Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta ruled that the Supreme Court is already handling the case, thus directing the High Court to close its proceedings to avoid parallel actions. The Supreme Court previously established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprised of senior IPS officers to investigate the matter and instructed Shah to cooperate, while staying his arrest. During a hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Court that the SIT was formed and had commenced its investigation, with Shah's mobile phone being seized.

The Court acknowledged that a status report had been filed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), detailing the ongoing probe's initial findings. The investigation revealed the collection of preliminary materials, including a speech script and witness statements, with requests for additional time to continue. Shah’s controversial comment made at a public event in Ambedkar Nagar insinuated a threat towards Colonel Qureshi, attracting significant backlash and demands for his removal from office. The Madhya Pradesh High Court initiated a suo motu case against him, which led to his appeal to the Supreme Court. The Court criticized Shah, stating, The entire nation is ashamed of you, emphasizing the need for him to redeem himself.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar