NEW DELHI, May 8:
The Supreme Court on Friday strongly criticised the Madhya Pradesh government for delaying its decision on granting sanction to prosecute Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over his controversial remarks against Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.
Hearing the matter, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi expressed displeasure over the delay and remarked, “Enough is enough,” while directing the State government to comply with earlier court directions.
The case pertains to objectionable comments allegedly made by Shah regarding Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who had briefed the media during Operation Sindoor following India’s cross-border military response after the Pahalgam terror attack.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the State government had yet to take a final decision on sanction for prosecution. He stated that the minister’s remarks may have been “misarticulated” and claimed Shah perhaps intended to praise the officer.
However, the Bench rejected the explanation, with the CJI observing that the comments were “most unfortunate” and noting that politicians are generally careful with their words. The court also questioned the sincerity of Shah’s apology, saying it appeared to have come only after judicial intervention.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi further observed that, according to the SIT report, Shah had a history of making similar statements.
The Supreme Court directed the Madhya Pradesh government to consider the matter in totality and take an appropriate decision, while listing the case for further hearing after four weeks.(KNC)