The Supreme Court Monday rejected the apology tendered by Madhya Pradesh Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah over his remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as “only a pretence to wriggle out of the consequences”, and ordered the setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the FIR filed against him over the issue.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N K Singh was hearing petitions filed by Shah challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s suo motu order directing the registration of an FIR against him for
Having gone through the contents of the statement attributed to the petitioner, also the contents of the apology said to have been tendered by him, we are satisfied that subject FIR requires to be investigated by an SIT comprising three senior, directly recruited IPS officers of MP cadre but who do not belong the state,” the bench directed.
“We are further of the opinion that out of the three, one should be a woman IPS officer. The Director General of Police, MP, is directed to constitute the SIT before tomorrow at 10 am. It shall be headed by an officer not below the rank of IGP, and both members shall also be of rank SP or above,” the bench added.
Directing that Shah join and fully cooperate with the investigation, the bench said that “subject thereto, as of now, his arrest shall remain stayed.” “Though following the settled law, we are not going to monitor the investigation, however, in the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case, we direct SIT to submit the outcome of its investigation through a status report.”
the alleged remarks.
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