SC Directs MP Govt to Take Decision Within Two Weeks on Granting Sanction to Prosecute Minister Vijay Shah
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (January 19) directed the State of Madhya Pradesh to take a decision within two weeks on granting sanction to prosecute minister Kunwar Vijay Shah in the case pertaining to objectionable remarks that Shah made against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Deepankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi said that that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the top court has completed its investigation and filed the final report, and was awaiting the sanction of the Madhya Pradesh government, reported LiveLaw.
The prosecution sanction is necessary for the Court to take cognizance of the offence under Section 196 (promotion of communal hatred, ill-will) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"It is too late to tender any apology...we had earlier commented on what kind of apology is submitted," CJI Kant said on Monday when Shah’s counsel senior advocate Maninder Singh told the court that he has placed on record his apology and that he was cooperating with the investigation.
The court also said that the SIT report refers to other incidents wherein Shah has made allegedly objectionable remarks and asked the SIT to submit a report about action proposed to be taken in such other instances, reported LiveLaw.
Shah, a cabinet minister of Madhya Pradesh, had made derogatory, communal remarks against Colonel Qureshi, who was one of the faces of the press briefings on Operation Sindoor, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.
“Jinhone humari betiyon ke sindoor ujade the…humne unki behen bhej kar ke unki aisi ki taisi karwayi (Those [terrorists] who wiped out the vermilion of our sisters [in the Pahalgam attack]… we avenged these people by sending their sister to destroy them),” Shah had said, repeating at least thrice that their community’s sister was sent by Modiji to destroy them.
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