New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has said ED should also think of the fundamental rights of the people and frowned upon the agency's plea seeking the transfer of the Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) scam case from Chhattisgarh to New Delhi.

A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan questioned the agency on how it had filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution meant for individuals.

Article 32 of Constitution guarantees the "Right to Constitutional Remedies," empowering individuals to seek redressal from the Supreme Court for violations of their fundamental rights, allowing them to directly approach the court for enforcement of these rights.

Following the bench's remarks, additional solicitor general S.V. Raju sought its permission to withdraw the plea and said, "ED also has fundamental rights."

"In a lighter vein, if ED has fundamental rights, it should think about fundamental rights of people too," the bench said.

The court then allowed Raju to withdraw the plea.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) last year claimed former IAS officer Anil Tuteja misused the anticipatory bail granted to him in the case in Chhattisgarh.

The probe agency recently made a startling claim about some constitutional functionaries of Chhattisgarh being in touch with a high court judge to ensure judicial reliefs to some accused in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged multi-crore rupees NAN scam.

Aside from seeking the transfer of the PMLA case out of Chhattisgarh, the ED sought cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to some high-profile accused persons in the money laundering case.

In 2019, the ED lodged the complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the FIR and chargesheet filed by the Chhattisgarh police's economic offences wing and the anti-corruption bureau in the civil supply scam.

The alleged scam in the public distribution system (PDS) surfaced when the state's anti-corruption bureau raided some offices of NAN, the nodal agency for ensuring effective operation of the PDS system, in February 2015 and seized unaccounted cash totalling Rs 3.64 crore.

Many of the rice and salt samples collected during the raid were tested for their quality and were claimed to be sub-standard and unfit for human consumption.

While Tuteja was the chairperson of NAN, Shukla was the managing director.

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Bhopal/Indore, May 13 (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Vijay Shah has sparked a major controversy with objectionable comments that appeared to be directed at Col Sofia Qureshi, whom he tried to project as a "sister of terrorists."

Under severe flak, Shah said if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.

The Congress has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Shah from the Madhya Pradesh cabinet.

Colonel Qureshi had conducted regular press briefings, sharing details of the 'Operation Sindoor' launched by Indian armed forces to strike terrorists, joined by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.

"Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters (in the Pahalgam terror attack)..We avenged these 'kate-pite' people by sending their sister to destroy them," Shah said.

"They (terrorists) killed our Hindu brothers by making them remove their clothes. PM Modi ji responded by sending their (terrorists') sister in an Army plane to strike them in their houses. They (terrorists) made our sisters widows, so Modiji sent the sister of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson", the BJP leader said while addressing a gathering in Ramkunda village near Indore.

He said, "Revenge was taken for the honour of our country (India), respect, and for the (slain) husbands of our sisters by sending a sister from your (terrorists') community to Pakistan".

The tribal welfare minister clarified that his remarks should not be construed otherwise.

Shah's remarks drew wide-scale condemnation, with Congress demanding his immediate dismissal from the MP cabinet.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said Shah, who made 'derogatory' remarks in reference to Colonel Sofia Qureshi, should be dismissed immediately.

"A minister of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has made a very derogatory, shameful and cheap remark about our brave daughter Colonel Sofia Qureshi. The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country, but the country was united during the entire 'Operation Sindoor' to give a befitting reply to the terrorists," Kharge posted on X.

He alleged that the BJP-RSS harbours an anti-women mentality.

"First, the wife of the naval officer martyred in Pahalgam was trolled on social media, then the daughter of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was harassed, and now the BJP ministers are making such indecent comments about our brave woman Sophia Qureshi," Kharge said and appealed to PM Modi to immediately sack Shah.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari shared the video of Shah on X and asked whether the BJP agrees with the minister's "low thinking"?

The MP Congress Committee alleged that Shah's "indecent' and hate-filled" statement is not just a personal attack, but an open attack on India's military dignity, national unity, and women's honour.

Amid the raging controversy, the BJP's Madhya Pradesh general secretary Hitanand Sharma summoned Shah to the state headquarters in Bhopal.

According to sources, Sharma reprimanded the minister, who also met the state BJP president, Vishnu Dutt Sharma.

Speaking to reporters, Shah sought to attribute the intemperate remarks to his "disturbed" state of mind in view of the brutal killing of innocent people in Pahalgam by terrorists.

He claimed many members of his family have a military background and many were martyred.

"Sister Sophia has brought glory to India by rising above caste and religion. She is more respected than our own sister. I salute her for her service to the nation.

"We cannot even think of insulting her in our dreams. Still, if my words have hurt society and religion, then I am ready to apologise ten times,'' he added.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Manoj Shukla and the party workers blackened the nameplate of Shah at his bungalow and raised slogans seeking his resignation.