‘Testing our patience’: SC slams MP minister Shah over apology to Colonel Qureshi

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed strong displeasure at Madhya Pradesh Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for failing to issue a sincere and public apology for his controversial remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who had briefed the media on Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi questioned Shah’s counsel about compliance with the court's earlier directive to issue a public apology. In response, the advocate stated that Shah had issued an apology online.

Unimpressed, Justice Kant remarked, "What do you mean by an apology like this? This man has been testing our patience. This was the same statement he made on the first date. Where is it on record? That so-called online apology reflects his intentions, and that makes us even more suspicious of his bona fides."

The court also inquired about the status of the investigation into Shah’s remarks. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) member present in court informed the bench that the probe would be completed within the statutory 90-day period, expiring on August 13. He added that statements of 27 individuals had been recorded, and several video clips were being reviewed.

The matter is now scheduled for the next hearing on August 18.

Previously, the Supreme Court had stayed Shah's arrest in connection with the case and had taken over proceedings from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had initiated a suo motu action. The top court had also directed the formation of an SIT comprising three senior IPS officers from outside Madhya Pradesh, including at least one woman officer, to conduct the investigation.

The court had earlier condemned Shah’s remarks as “filthy, crass, and shameful,” rejecting his apology as insincere. “The nation is ashamed of you. Redemption is yours to seek,” Justice Kant had said at a previous hearing.

The controversy erupted after a video clip of Shah’s speech went viral on social media. Although the minister later claimed his comments had been taken out of context and were intended to praise Colonel Qureshi’s courage, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 14 took suo motu cognisance and ordered police to register an FIR under sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The High Court had warned that failure to register the FIR by the evening of May 14 could invite contempt proceedings against the State DGP. On May 15, the court sharply criticised the FIR as a "gross subterfuge" and said it would continue to monitor the case without interfering in the investigation. The matter was then posted for hearing on June.

ANI inputs