New Delhi, 9May 2026: The Supreme Court on Friday took strong exception to the prolonged delay by the Madhya Pradesh government in deciding the Special Investigation Team’s request for sanction to prosecute State minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over his objectionable remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, with the top court remarking that “enough is enough”.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that the SIT’s request for sanction to prosecute had been pending with the State government since August 19, 2025, and that a decision on the sanction was to have been taken within two weeks, as directed by the court on January 19, 2026.
During the January 19, 2026 hearing, questioning the Madhya Pradesh government for not taking a decision on granting sanction to prosecute Shah, the Supreme Court had expressed dissatisfaction over the inaction of the State government on the request made by the court-directed SIT.
Directing the Madhya Pradesh government to take a decision within two weeks, Chief Justice Surya Kant had said, “You are sitting over the SIT report since August 19, 2025. Statute casts an obligation on you and you must take a call. It is January 19 now.” The court had underlined that the State could not indefinitely delay a decision mandated by law.
The SIT had sought sanction for the prosecution of Shah and accused him of offences under Sections 196(1)(a) and 196(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The court’s sharp remarks today came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State government, informed the Bench that the SIT’s request for sanction to prosecute Shah was still pending with the Madhya Pradesh government. Attempting to explain the minister’s statement, the Solicitor General submitted that the remarks were unfortunate and may have been misunderstood, suggesting that Shah perhaps intended to praise the Army officer but failed to articulate himself properly.
The Bench, however, was not inclined to accept the explanation. Chief Justice Kant observed that the remarks could not merely be described as unfortunate, but were “most unfortunate”. The court further remarked that a seasoned politician was fully aware of how to appropriately express appreciation for an officer.
“Just comply with our order now. Enough is enough. The first thing should have been an apology. It was only after we took cognizance,” the Bench observed, while posting the matter after four weeks.
Justice Bagchi also referred to the SIT status report, which, according to the court, indicated that the minister had a pattern of making such comments. The Bench said that the State government should consider the entire factual background while taking a decision on sanction.
Colonel Qureshi was among the Army officers who had briefed the media during Operation Sindoor, India’s cross-border military response launched after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed.
The controversy arose after Shah, during a public event in Raikunda village in Mhow, allegedly remarked that “Those who widowed our daughters, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson.” The remark was widely perceived as a communal insinuation aimed at the officer and her religious identity.
The remarks triggered widespread outrage and led the Madhya Pradesh High Court to take suo motu cognisance. The High Court directed registration of an FIR against the minister, observing that the comments were disparaging and harmful not only to the officer concerned but also to the armed forces.
An FIR was subsequently registered under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to acts endangering national integrity and promoting enmity between groups. Shah later approached the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court order. While refusing to stay the FIR, the apex court had constituted an SIT to investigate the matter, though it granted protection from arrest.
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Pramod kumar is a Senior Journalist, Covering Supreem Court of India
