Petition before SC seeks removal of Minister Vijay Shah for comments on Col. Sofiya Qureshi

A petition has been filed before Supreme Court of India seeking removal of Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah from ministerial post for his remarks against Col. Sofia Qureshi.

As per the petitioner Dr. Jaya Thakur, at a function that was held at village Raikunda in Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, Shah has referred to Col. Qureshi as the sister of the terrorists who carried out the killings of 26 innocent Indians at Pahalgam. It has thus been submitted that he has violated the oath taken by him under Article 164(3) of the Constitution of India.

Stating that there are newspaper reports and a plethora of digital material available on the internet in which the speech of the minister is clear and unequivocal, where he has referred to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, for having sent the sister of the terrorists to sort them out, the petition submits, "The statement of the minister that Col. Sofia Quraishi is the sister of the terrorist who carried out the attack at Pahalgam encourages feelings of separatist activities by imputing separatist feeling to anyone who is Muslim, which thereby endangers the sovereignty or unity and integrity of India.".

The petition filed through Advocate Varuk Thakur also states that Shah has previously been involved In multiple instances of misconduct, which reflect a repeated pattern of making indecent, derogatory, and disrespectful remarks, particularly against women.

Notably, BJP leader Kunwar Vijay Shah has also approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s suo motu order directing registration of an FIR against him for his controversial remarks referring to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as a “sister of terrorists.”

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta was recently informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had already been constituted and that the investigation is currently underway.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued notice to the State of Madhya Pradesh and ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the FIR. The Court had also stayed Shah’s arrest, directing him to cooperate fully with the SIT.

Supreme Court had also directed the Madhya Pradesh High Court to close any parallel proceedings in the matter, noting that the Apex Court had already taken cognizance.

Jabalpur Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of Shah’s comments in May; made during a public event in Mhow, where he referred to Col. Qureshi in communal and sexist terms, implying she was sent as “revenge” against terrorists.

High Court described the remarks as "dangerous," "disparaging," and using "language of the gutters," observing they amounted to prima facie offences under stringent criminal provisions. It further said such statements stigmatize the Muslim community and threaten constitutional values of unity and fraternity.

Case Title: Dr. Jaya Thakur vs. State of MP and Ors