Col Sofiya Qureshi remarks row: SIT files status report in SC, hearing on MP Minister's pleas tomorrow

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed its registry to accept the status report filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the controversial remarks made by Madhya Pradesh Tribal Welfare Minister Vijay Shah against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the Indian Army officer who briefed the media throughout Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

After an oral mentioning was made by the state government’s counsel, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta asked the apex court registry to take on record the SIT’s status report.

The development came a day before when the Justice Surya Kant-led Bench is slated to resume hearing on Wednesday on Shah’s special leave petition (SLP) challenging the order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had directed registration of an FIR against the state minister over his distasteful remarks.

Talking about Operation Sindoor, Shah had reportedly said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a "sister from the same community" as those in Pakistan to avenge the April 22 terror strike in Kashmir's Pahalgam, sparking nationwide outrage.

Last week, the Supreme Court had ordered the state Director General of Police to form a SIT of three senior IPS officers of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, including a woman IPS officer, to probe the FIR registered against Shah under Sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

"The SIT shall be headed by an officer not below the rank of Inspector General of Police, and the remaining two members shall also be in the rank of Superintendent of Police or above. The investigation of the subject FIR shall be entrusted to the SIT forthwith," the Justice Surya Kant-led Bench said in its order passed on May 19.

Further, it had ordered that no coercive action would be taken against Shah, including arrest, but asked the Madhya Pradesh Minister to join and fully cooperate with the investigation.

Following the Supreme Court order, Madhya Pradesh DGP Kailash Makwana constituted the SIT on May 19, comprising IG, Sagar Range, Pramod Verma (2001 batch IPS), DIG, SAF, Kalyan Chakraborty (2010 batch), and Dindori SP Vahini Singh (2014 batch).

On Saturday, the three-member SIT visited Raikunda village near the Mhow region of Indore district, where Shah had attended a public programme on May 12 and made the controversial remark. The team met the village sarpanch and secretary -- both organisers of the event -- who had earlier been summoned by the Manpur police, where the FIR in the case was registered.

The SIT has collected relevant documents, including video footage of the event and a list of attendees.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court, on May 14, had ordered the DGP to register a criminal case against Shah within four hours and warned the top police official of contempt action in case of any delay in compliance.

A bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla said that prima facie, an offence of promoting enmity between different castes, religion and language was made out. The Justice Sreedharan-led Bench opined that referring to Colonel Qureshi as a "sister of terrorists" is an offence of hurting the sentiments and faith of the Muslim community.

--IANS

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