The Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the registration of an FIR against State Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for alleged derogatory remarks against Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. Justice Atul Sreedharan observed that the comments, if established, prima facie attracted Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which penalises incitement of enmity between groups. The Court warned of contempt proceedings for non-compliance and stressed urgency by remarking, "I may not be alive tomorrow
The matter arose from a political controversy following public statements made by BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah during a public event in Indore. In the course of the speech, he allegedly made offensive remarks directed at Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a senior Army officer who was actively involved in briefing the media on Operation Sindoor, alongside other officials. The comment was widely perceived as targeting Colonel Qureshi in a derogatory manner, which drew sharp criticism from political parties, civil society, and the National Commission for Women (NCW). Following the backlash, Shah issued a public apology; however, the gravity of the remarks prompted a petition seeking judicial intervention and criminal proceedings against the minister.
Appearing on behalf of the respondent, the counsel for Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah contended that the petition was based solely on newspaper reports and lacked authenticated, evidentiary material. He requested additional time to respond to the allegations more comprehensively.
The Court, however, dismissed the attempt to dilute the proceedings, stating that it would take judicial notice of publicly available video evidence and include the relevant video links in the official case record. Justice Atul Sreedharan underscored the seriousness of the issue by expressing personal urgency, “I may not be alive tomorrow,” reflecting the immediacy with which the Court sought to address the matter.
The Court further observed that the allegations, on the face of it, attract the provisions of Section 196 of the BNS, which criminalises acts that incite hatred or enmity between different groups. It reiterated that such statements, especially coming from a public servant, have far-reaching societal consequences and cannot be ignored merely on the grounds of political context.
In light of the foregoing, the Court ordered the Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh, to register a First Information Report (FIR) against Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah by the evening of the same day. The Court made it unequivocally clear that non-compliance would lead to proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act. The matter reflects the judiciary’s firm stance against derogatory and inflammatory speech, especially when directed at officers serving in the armed forces.
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