The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the closure of proceedings before the Madhya Pradesh High Court against state minister Vijay Shah in connection with his alleged objectionable remarks against Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. The top court clarified that it is now monitoring the matter directly.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh issued the direction while hearing a plea related to the controversy. The bench sought a status report from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in compliance with the apex court’s earlier directive. The SIT has reportedly seized certain electronic devices and commenced its investigation.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that despite the Supreme Court’s intervention, parallel proceedings were ongoing before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Taking note of this, the bench held that since the Supreme Court is now seized of the matter, all proceedings before the High Court stand closed.
“The interim directions issued on May 19, including the stay on the arrest of Vijay Shah, shall continue,” the court said, adjourning the case to the second week of July for further hearing.
The bench also turned down all applications for intervention, stating it wished to avoid politicising the issue.
Earlier, on May 19, the Supreme Court had pulled up Minister Shah and ordered the formation of a three-member SIT to investigate the FIR registered against him. The controversy began after a video surfaced online allegedly showing Shah making derogatory remarks about Col Sofiya Qureshi. The video quickly went viral, sparking nationwide outrage.
Col Qureshi had earned national recognition for her role, alongside Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during the briefings on Operation Sindoor.
Reacting strongly, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had described Shah’s comments as “scurrilous” and “language of the gutters”, and had directed police to register an FIR under provisions related to promoting enmity and hatred.
In response to the backlash, Shah expressed regret and stated that he holds Col Qureshi in high regard, even more than his own sister.
