Every word uttered by a minister has to be with a sense of responsibility at a time the country is undergoing “such a situation”, the Supreme Court said on Thursday as it reprimanded Madhya Pradesh’s Vijay Shah who is facing an FIR for his remarks targeting Col Sofiya Qureshi.
“What sort of statements are you making? You are a responsible minister of the government,” Chief Justice of India B R Gavai told Shah. The bench, also comprising Justice Augustine George Masih, will on Friday hear Shah’s plea challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s May 14 order directing an FIR against him for the comments.
“When this country is undergoing such a situation, every sentence or word uttered by a responsible minister has to be with a sense of responsibility,” the CJI told Shah’s counsel.
“Persons holding such a constitutional office are expected to exercise a degree of restraint,” the bench observed.
Senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija, appearing for Shah, mentioned the matter for urgent listing and said the high court had taken suo motu cognisance and asked for registration of an FIR.