The case arose from Shah’s remarks at a public event in Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow) when he reportedly said,
“Those who widowed our daughters, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson.”
The remarks were seen as a veiled reference to Col. Qureshi, one of the Army officers who briefed the media during Operation Sindoor, India’s cross-border response to the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court took suo motu cognisance of the remarks on May 14, 2025 and directed registration of a criminal case, prompting Shah to move the Supreme Court.
On May 19, 2025, the Court granted him interim protection from arrest while sharply criticising him, and went on to constitute the SIT to investigate the allegations.