SC raps MP minister over Col Sofiya slur

Karnataka FIR In a related development, the Congress-led Karnataka government has directed the police to register an FIR against Shah in connection with his controversial remarks on Colonel Qureshi.

- FPJ News Service

The Supreme Court on Thursday reprimanded Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah for his derogatory remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, stressing that every word spoken by a minister during a national crisis must be marked by responsibility and restraint.

The court's sharp observations came as Shah moved the apex court, challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court's May 14 order directing the police to register an FIR against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for promoting enmity and hatred.

Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, presiding over a bench alongside Justice Augustine George Masih, did not mince words. "What sort of statements are you making? You should show some sense of sensibility. Go and apologise in the High Court," the CJI said sternly.

"When the country is undergoing such a situation, every sentence or word uttered must be measured. Constitutional office-bearers are expected to show restraint," the court observed.