The Supreme Court criticised Madhya Pradesh minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over his remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi
May 8, 2026: Supreme Court of India on Friday strongly criticised Kunwar Vijay Shah over his remarks against Sofiya Qureshi during Operation Sindoor, calling his comments “most unfortunate” and observing that he showed “no sense of remorse.” A bench led by Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the Madhya Pradesh government to take a decision within two weeks on granting sanction for prosecution in the case.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the state government had not yet taken a final decision on sanction. The court, however, rejected arguments suggesting the minister intended to praise the officer and instead emphasised that his conduct after the remarks reflected a lack of genuine apology. Shah had triggered controversy during a public speech in Indore where he referred to Colonel Qureshi while commenting on India’s military action following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The court also referred to a report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which highlighted previous controversial remarks allegedly made by Shah. The bench directed the SIT to trace details of those earlier incidents as well. Senior advocate Maninder Singh argued that Shah had apologised publicly and issued a clarification letter, but the court remarked that the response appeared more like a “fake defence” than a sincere apology. The matter will now be heard again after two weeks once the state government communicates its decision on sanction.