Supreme Court raps MP minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for not issuing public apology to Col Sofiya Qureshi
Supreme Court
on Monday pulled up
Madhya Pradesh minister
Kunwar Vijay Shah for not issuing a
public apology
over his remarks against Indian Army officer
Col Sofiya Qureshi
, saying he is testing the court's patience.
A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the conduct of the minister was making the court doubt his intentions and bonafide.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Please select course:
Select a Course Category
PGDM
CXO
healthcare
Data Science
Data Analytics
Cybersecurity
Technology
Degree
Others
Artificial Intelligence
Management
Leadership
Project Management
Data Science
MBA
Design Thinking
MCA
Public Policy
Finance
Digital Marketing
others
Product Management
Skills you'll gain:
Financial Analysis & Decision Making
Quantitative & Analytical Skills
Organizational Management & Leadership
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Duration:
24 Months
IMI Delhi
Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Online)
Starts on
Sep 1, 2024
Get Details
Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, appearing for Shah, said he had issued a public apology, which was online, and would be placed on court's record.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder
War Thunder
Play Now
The bench asked the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the statements made by the minister to submit its report by August 13.
The top court noted 87 people were examined by the probe team, which was currently examining the statements.
Live Events
The bench also refused to examine a plea filed by
Congress leader Jaya Thakur
seeking Shah's resignation but said some of the allegations made in the writ petition about the past instances would be looked into by the three-member SIT.
The top court posted the hearing for August 18.
The SIT constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government was in compliance with the top court's order.
On May 19, the top court chided Shah and constituted the SIT to probe the FIR lodged against him.
Shah came under fire after a video, which was circulated widely, showed him allegedly making objectionable remarks against Col Qureshi, who gained nationwide prominence along with another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during the media briefings on
Operation Sindoor
.
The
Madhya Pradesh High Court
rebuked Shah for passing "scurrilous" remarks and using "language of the gutters" against Col Qureshi, and ordered police to file an FIR against him on the charge of promoting enmity and hatred.
After drawing severe condemnation, Shah expressed regret and said that he respects Col Qureshi more than his sister.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
a minute ago
- Hindustan Times
Punish incestuous assault severely: SC
Incestuous sexual violence by a parent tears through the foundational fabric of familial trust and must invite the severest condemnation in both language and sentence, the Supreme Court held on Wednesday, dismissing a petition filed by a man convicted of repeatedly raping his minor daughter Punish incestuous assault severely: SC 'The home, which should be a sanctuary, cannot be permitted to become a site of unspeakable trauma, and the courts must send a clear signal that such offences will be met with an equally unsparing judicial response,' said a bench of justices Aravind Kumar and Sandeep Mehta. To entertain a plea for leniency in a case of this nature, the court stressed, would not merely be misplaced, but constitute a betrayal of the court's own constitutional duty to protect the vulnerable. 'When a child is forced to suffer at the hands of her own father, the law must speak in a voice that is resolute and uncompromising. There can be no mitigation in sentencing for crimes that subvert the very notion of family as a space of security,' said the bench, affirming the life sentence for the convict. Rejecting outright, the plea to consider his bail in the 2013 crime, the court added that any leniency in such cases would amount to 'a judicial insult to the sanctity of womanhood' and 'a betrayal of the constitutional promise made to every child of this country.' 'When a father who is expected to be a shield, a guardian, a moral compass, becomes the source of the most severe violation of a child's bodily integrity and dignity, the betrayal is not only personal but institutional. The law does not, and cannot, condone such acts under the guise of rehabilitation or reform,' it said. Upholding the Himachal Pradesh High Court's July 2024 judgment that affirmed the man's life sentence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court said the case reflected a horrifying abuse of trust, where the father became the 'source of the most severe violation of a child's bodily integrity and dignity.' The court noted that the victim was around 10 years old when the assaults began, which were not isolated but sustained violations inside the home – 'a place where every child expects protection.' Referring to the father's repeated acts of aggravated penetrative sexual assault, the bench said the crime 'assumes a demonic character' when committed by a parent, and warrants the 'severest condemnation in both language and sentence.' 'No daughter, however aggrieved, would fabricate charges of this magnitude against her own father merely to escape household discipline,' observed the bench, rejecting the convict's claim that he was falsely implicated due to strained domestic relationships. It acknowledged that 'incestuous sexual violence constitutes a distinct category of offence that tears through the foundational fabric of familial trust', holding that such offences deserve nothing but the severest condemnation and deterrent punishment. 'To pardon such depravity under any guise would be a travesty of justice and a betrayal of the child protection mandate embedded in our constitutional and statutory framework,' maintained the bench, underlining the court's zero-tolerance approach. Reiterating that justice must not be limited to conviction, the court also emphasised the importance of restitution and rehabilitation, especially for child survivors. Invoking Article 142 of the Constitution, the bench directed the state of Himachal Pradesh to pay a compensation of ₹10.5 lakh to the now-major survivor, exceeding the maximum prescribed under the NALSA Compensation Scheme by 50% due to the gravity of the offence and age of the victim. Of this amount, ₹7 lakh is to be fixed in a nationalised bank for five years in the survivor's name, with quarterly interest accessible to her. The remaining ₹3.5 lakh is to be transferred directly to her account. The process will be monitored by the Himachal Pradesh State Legal Services Authority. 'In awarding this compensation, we reaffirm the constitutional commitment to protect the rights and dignity of child survivors, and to ensure that the justice delivered is substantive, compassionate and complete,' held the court.
Hindustan Times
a minute ago
- Hindustan Times
Vantara to set up elephant rehab facility in Kolhapur
Mumbai: Days after the court-ordered relocation of a 36-year-old arthritic elephant from a Jain shrine in Kolhapur to Vantara in Gujarat ignited a public outcry and protests, the Jamnagar-based animal rescue and conservation centre on Wednesday expressed regret over the matter and proposed to set up a satellite rehabilitation centre for the pachyderm at Nandani in Kolhapur district. Vantara to set up elephant rehab facility in Kolhapur Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who held a meeting with Vantara's chief executive officer, Vivaan Karani, on Wednesday, said the organisation has assured him that it would cooperate with the state government in the legal process to get the elephant, Mahadevi, back to Kolhapur. 'I had a detailed discussion in Mumbai with senior officials of the Vantara management. They have assured me that Vantara has decided to be a part of the petition that the Maharashtra government has resolved to file, seeking the safe return of the elephant Mahadevi to the Nandani Math. During the discussion, they informed me that they were only complying with the orders of the Supreme Court and had no intention of taking custody of Mahadevi on their own,' said Fadnavis on Wednesday. Later in the day, Vantara issued a statement saying it would extend full support to any application filed by the Jain shrine and the Maharashtra government before the court requesting Mahadevi's return to Kolhapur. 'Subject to the court's approval, Vantara will provide complete technical and veterinary assistance for her safe and dignified return,' the statement said. The centre managed by the Reliance Foundation also stressed that at no stage did it initiate or recommend the elephant's relocation, nor was there any intent to interfere with religious practice or sentiment. 'If our involvement, despite being carried out solely under court directions, has caused any distress to the Jain community or the people of Kolhapur, we express our sincere regret. Michhami Dukkadam—if any hurt was caused through thought, word, or deed, knowingly or unknowingly, we seek your forgiveness,' the statement added. Vantara also proposed to set up a satellite rehabilitation centre for Mahadevi, also known as Madhuri, in the Nandani area of Kolhapur, where the Jain shrine is located. The proposed facility will be developed in accordance with established animal welfare guidelines after consulting with experts and the consensus of the shrine, while aligned to international best practices in elephant care, the statement said. According to Vantara, the proposed elephant rehab centre at Nandani will include a specialised hydrotherapy pond for joint and muscular relief, a larger water body for swimming and natural movement, a laser therapy and treatment room for physical rehabilitation, a covered night shelter for rest and protection, a lush open-space habitat for unrestricted movement without chains, a sand pit for environmental enrichment and natural behaviours, a fully equipped veterinary clinic for 24x7 medical care, a rubberised flooring platform for safe and comfortable resting, carefully formed mounds of soft sand to support sloped resting positions, which would aide Mahadevi's recovery from foot rot and relieve pressure from arthritis. The land for the proposed facility will be identified in consultation with the Jain shrine and the Maharashtra government. Upon receiving the necessary grants and permissions, Vantara's team will begin the implementation in close coordination with relevant authorities, the organisation said. 'This proposal is not intended for any credit or recognition of Vantara. We remain fully open and respectful to any alternative proposal the Jain Matha may wish to put forward, in accordance with the final directions of the honourable court,' the statement said. After the meeting with Fadnavis, Vanatara's Karani went to Kolhapur to meet the chief of the Jain shrine, Jinsen Bhattarak Mahaswami, who expressed his satisfaction with the proposal. 'I welcome the approach of [Reliance Foundation director] Anant Ambani and give my blessing to him for returning Mahadevi and providing rehabilitation services at Nandani with the support of Vantara. After a legal process with the help of the Maharashtra government, Vantara and the forest department, Mahadevi will come back to Nandani,' he said. Congress MLC Satej Patil, who participated in the protest demanding Mahadevi's return to Nandani, welcomed the outcome of the meeting between the chief minister and Vantara, saying it was a victory of the unity of Kolhapur's people. 'I wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the Vantara management to rehabilitate Mahadevi, the elephant, in Kolhapur after the due legal process. Heartfelt thanks for everyone's support and to team Vantara,' he said. Mahadevi was with the Swastishri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswamy Sanstha at Nandani for over three decades. On July 16, the Bombay high court ordered her relocation to the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust in Jamnagar, managed by Vantara, after animal welfare organisations such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) underlined her poor health and argued that she was not getting proper care at the shrine. The shrine challenged the order, but the Supreme Court on July 25 upheld it, after which the elephant was moved from Nandani to the Jamnagar facility. Following Mahadevi's relocation, thousands of people in Kolhapur participated in protests demanding her return to the shrine.
Time of India
12 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump threatens takeover of Washington, D.C., with National Guard to fight crime
President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested he may use the National Guard to police the streets of Washington, D.C., in his latest threat to take over running the city that serves as the seat of the U.S. government. "We have a capital that's very unsafe," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We have to run D.C. This has to be the best-run place in the country." Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Trump, who has threatened a federal takeover of the city multiple times, renewed those threats after a young staffer who was part of Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted over the weekend. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ringing in Ears Ruined My Life – Then I Found This Simple Trick Tinnitus Experts Undo Musk, the billionaire former adviser to Trump who once spearheaded the DOGE effort, said the man was beaten and received a concussion. "It is time to federalize DC," he wrote. Asked if he was considering taking over the D.C. police, Trump responded affirmatively. Live Events "We just almost lost a young man, beautiful handsome guy that got the hell knocked out of him," Trump said. The president posted a picture of the victim, Edward Coristine, known by the nickname "Big Balls," on social media, with blood on his face, arms, torso and legs. "We're going to beautify the city. We're going to make it beautiful. And what a shame, the rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else. We're not going to let it. And that includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly, too," Trump said. A spokesman for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. Violent crime in the first seven months of 2025 was down by 26% in D.C. compared to last year while overall crime was down about 7%, according to records on the police department's website. Overall crime was down 15% in 2024, compared to 2023, the website showed. The District of Columbia was established in 1790 with land from neighboring Virginia and Maryland. Congress has control of its budget, but resident voters elect a mayor and city council, thanks to a law known as the Home Rule Act. For Trump to take over the city, Congress likely would have to pass a law revoking that act, which Trump would have to sign. The president said on Wednesday that lawyers were already looking at overturning the Home Rule Act.
