NEW DELHI, May 19: The Supreme Court of India, on Monday, ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the First Information Report (FIR) filed against Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over his alleged derogatory and communal remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a senior Indian Army officer involved in Operation Sindoor.

The three-member SIT, to be constituted by the Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh, by May 20, 2025, will include senior IPS officers from outside the state, with at least one woman officer to ensure impartiality. The Court directed Shah to fully cooperate with the investigation, staying his arrest on the condition of his cooperation.

The FIR was prompted by remarks Shah made at a public event in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, on May 12, 2025. He referred to Colonel Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists” and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent “a sister from their community” to avenge the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 Indian civilian lives. The comments, widely circulated on social media, sparked national outrage due to their communal and sexist undertones.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh presided over the case and dismissed Shah’s public apology, calling it “insincere” and likening it to “crocodile tears.” The bench stated that the minister’s words brought “shame to the entire nation.”

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier taken suo motu cognizance of the remarks and directed that an FIR be filed on May 14 under sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which cover offenses such as promoting enmity and endangering national unity. The High Court later intervened again to correct what it described as a “deficient” and “gross subterfuge” in the FIR’s original drafting—suggesting it may have been deliberately framed to weaken the case against Shah.

During the Supreme Court hearing, Justice Surya Kant sharply criticized the Madhya Pradesh government for its inaction. He questioned the state’s counsel, stating, “When the High Court had to virtually rewrite your FIR, what have you done?”

The SIT has been instructed to submit a status report before the next hearing on May 28, 2025. The bench also cautioned all parties against politicizing the issue, emphasizing, “He must face consequences. Let the law take its own course.”