Jabalpur, May 14 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the registration of an FIR against state Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah in connection with his objectionable remarks about Colonel Sophia Qureshi, who had conducted regular media briefings on Operation Sindoor executed by the Indian Armed forces to destroy terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.



The court directed that the FIR should be lodged by Wednesday evening.



A division bench comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla took suo motu cognizance of media reports on the matter and passed the orders to the state's Advocate General Prashant Singh.



The court directed the AG to immediately inform the Director General of Police (DGP) about the order and warned that non-compliance could lead to contempt proceedings.



The FIR against Minister Shah is to be filed under sections 152 (action endangering the sovereignty, unity, integrity of India), 196(1)(B) (acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different groups) and 197(1)(C) (imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.



Minister Shah, known for his oft-repeated controversial statements, is facing flak over a viral video where he made the objectionable remarks.



The BJP central leadership and the state unit have taken cognizance of the matter.



After facing backlash, Minister Shah apologised, but a video of him laughing after making the apology statement also went viral, stoking a further controversy. UNI XC AKT SSP