On May 15, the Supreme Court of India declined to entertain a plea seeking directions for the Union and Madhya Pradesh Governments to take action against BJP Minister Vijay Shah. The plea was filed in response to Shah's controversial remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a distinguished officer of the Indian Army.

The plea was presented by an advocate who submitted a letter petition, requesting the court to direct the central and state governments to initiate action against Shah for his comments. However, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih refused to consider the plea, citing the ongoing proceedings in the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

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While rejecting the petition, CJI BR Gavai highlighted the issue of publicity-motivated litigation, stating:
"We don't want this publicity litigation, that's all. Anybody who reads an item in the newspaper wants to file a plea."

The bench emphasized that such petitions often aimed for media attention rather than genuine legal redress. CJI Gavai further remarked, "High Court has already taken cognisance, don't file petitions only for the front pages."

Earlier, the Supreme Court also declined to grant interim relief concerning the FIR registered against Vijay Shah. This FIR was filed following a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, where Shah had challenged the order of FIR registration.

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The Madhya Pradesh High Court, in a separate but related hearing on the same day, instructed that the investigation into the matter would be monitored by the court to ensure fairness.

The controversy began when Vijay Shah referred to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as the "Sister of Terrorists." His statement, which sparked significant backlash, was:
"Jinhone humari betiyon ke sindoor ujade the… humne unhiki behen bhej kar ke unki aisi ki taisi karwayi"
(Translation: Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters in the Pahalgam terror attack... we avenged these people by sending their sister to destroy them.)

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This remark attracted widespread criticism, leading to legal actions against him. Following the backlash, Vijay Shah released a video on his official X account (formerly Twitter), offering a public apology for his comments.