New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up Madhya Pradesh Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for not issuing a public apology over his remarks against Indian Army officer Col Sofiya Qureshi, saying he was “testing the court’s patience”.
A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi pointed out the minister’s conduct was prompting it to doubt his intentions and bonafide.
“What do you mean by an apology like this? He made the statement on the first date itself. We are talking about a public apology. Where is it on record? He is testing our patience,” the bench said.
Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, appearing for Shah, said he had issued a public apology, which was shared online, and would be placed on court’s record.
“What is an online apology? We are starting to have doubts about his intentions and bonafide. You place the apology on record. We will have to see it,” the bench said.
It asked the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the statements made by the minister to submit its report by August 13.
An SIT officer appeared in court with a sealed cover report, stating statements of 27 people examined by the probe team were currently under scrutiny.
The bench said statements of those whose sentiments were hurt should have been recorded by the SIT instead of Shah’s statements.
The bench, in the meantime, refused to examine a plea filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur seeking Shah’s resignation but said some of the allegations made in the writ petition about the past instances would be looked into by the three-member SIT.
The top court posted the hearing for August 18.
The SIT constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government was in compliance with the top court’s order.
On May 28, the top court ordered closure of proceedings before the Madhya Pradesh High Court against Shah for his controversial remarks against Col Qureshi and asked for a status report from the SIT.
On May 19, the top court chided Shah and constituted the SIT to probe the FIR lodged against him.
Shah came under fire after a video, which was circulated widely, showed him allegedly making objectionable remarks against Col Qureshi, who gained nationwide prominence along with another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during the media briefings on Operation Sindoor.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court rebuked Shah for passing “scurrilous” remarks and using “language of the gutters” against Col Qureshi, and ordered police to file an FIR against him on the charge of promoting enmity and hatred.
After drawing severe condemnation, Shah expressed regret and said that he respects Col Qureshi more than his sister.
