The North News
New Delhi, May 14
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday ordered the state police chief to file a criminal case against BJP Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over remarks targeting Indian Army officer Colonel Sofia Qureshi. A two-judge bench took suo motu cognisance of Shah’s comments, made in response to Col Qureshi’s media briefing on Operation Sindoor, a military operation against Pakistan. The court said the minister’s remarks could incite communal disharmony.
“The Court is satisfied that offences under Sections 152, 196(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) are prima facie made out,” the bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Anuradha Shukla stated. The court noted that Shah’s comments referred to Col Qureshi in a derogatory manner by linking her to terrorists, which it said was likely to disturb public tranquillity and promote enmity between religious groups.
Section 196(1)(b) of the BNS criminalises acts prejudicial to harmony between communities, and the court found that Shah’s words fell within its ambit due to the religious identity of the officer, the High Court said.
The bench further invoked Section 197(1)(c), which criminalises public assertions that can cause hatred or ill-will against any group based on religion, language, or caste. The High Court directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to register a First Information Report (FIR) by Wednesday evening and warned of possible contempt proceedings if the order was not followed.
They also ordered the court’s IT Registrar to collect online links to the video in which Shah allegedly made the remarks. The case is scheduled to be heard again on Thursday.
