Vijay Shah absent from cabinet meet
Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister is embroiled in a controversy over his remarks on Indian Army Colonel Sofiya Quereshi.
The High Court Division Bench of Justices Atul Shreedharan and Anuradha Shukla at Jabalpur directed the police to include thorough and substantial details of the alleged offences against the Minister in the FIR (First Information Report).
Photo: IANS
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday expressed discontentment at the ‘loosely drafted’ FIR registered by the police against State Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah, saying that in its present form the FIR is likely to be quashed if challenged, even as the Supreme Court today agreed to hear the minister’s plea against the FIR on Friday.
The High Court Division Bench of Justices Atul Shreedharan and Anuradha Shukla at Jabalpur directed the police to include thorough and substantial details of the alleged offences against the Minister in the FIR (First Information Report).
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The court noted that in its present form, the FIR is vulnerable to being quashed if challenged. It further directed the police to conduct a fair investigation.
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Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today agreed to hear on Friday, Vijay Shah’s plea against the FIR. Nonetheless, the apex court reprimanded Vijay Shah on his “terrorsists’ sister” remark hinting at Indian Army Colonel Sofiya Quereshi.
The Supreme Court pointed out that a person on a constitutional post must be responsible in his comments and should be aware of what he is saying, when the nation is facing such a situation.
The MP High Court had taken suo motu cognizance of Vijay Shah’s derogatory comments, and orderd the MP DGP on Wednesday to get an FIR registered against the mimister by Wednesday evening.
The police finally registered the FIR at around 11 pm at the Manpur police station in Indore district, as the minister had made the comments during his speech at a function there on 12 May.
The FIR was registered under Sections 152 (act endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), 196(1)(B) (act adversely affecting mutual harmony between communities, likely to cause public unrest), and 197(1)(C) (statement targeting a member of a community with adverse effects on communal harmony) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
On Monday, Vijay Shah had made derogatory comments regarding the India-Pakistan conflict following ‘Operation Sindoor’, and dragged the name of PM Narendra Modi and also hinted at Colonel Sofiya Quereshi without naming her. The minister made offensive remarks throughout his speech.
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