BHOPAL: Six days ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Vijay Shah’s objectionable remarks against Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the state government is yet to decide whether to grant sanction to prosecute the senior minister.
According to state’s PWD minister Rakesh Singh, who briefed journalists after Tuesday’s state cabinet meeting, the matter pertaining to granting sanction for prosecuting Shah, was neither in the meeting’s agenda, nor was it discussed.
However, informed sources in the state government confided to this newspaper that the state government might not grant permission to prosecute Shah, particularly as he has already apologised publicly for the remark against the Indian Army’s female officer more than 20 times.
Sources added that there is a possibility that the government may forward it’s stand to the state’s Governor, based on whose opinion, the state government will file an affidavit in the matter in the country’s top court before the August 31 hearing in the matter.
Importantly, the important matter has been pending for around a year. The apex court had already directed the state government to take a decision on the prosecution sanction. So, the next few days on the issue are extremely crucial.
Importantly, the special investigation team (SIT) of MP Police, constituted on the SC’s order last year, has sought from the state government prosecution to prosecute Shah under Section 196(1)(a) of the BNS. The proposal was expected to be brought before the cabinet on Tuesday and if approved, it would have been sent to the Governor.
The next date in the matter before the Supreme Court is fixed on August 31. Back in January 2026, the top court had given the state government two weeks to decide on the prosecution sanction. The matter was again taken up by the SC in May, but the state government had not decided on the issue. The SC subsequently directed the state government to file a compliance report within four weeks.
A July 23, 2026 office report of the Supreme Court reportedly noted that no document had been filed in compliance with the May 8 order.
What had Vijay Shah said in May 2025?
While addressing a public event in Mhow (Indore), the senior cabinet minister Vijay Shah had on May 11, 2025, referred to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi (one of the two female faces of the Indian defence forces who briefed media during the Operation Sindoor) as “sister of the same community as terrorists.”
His remarks triggered a nationwide controversy, after which Shah later apologised for it several times.
Taking suo moto cognisance of the matter, the MP High Court, had ordered lodging a criminal case against Shah, after which an FIR was lodged against the minister hailing from tribal community at a police station in Indore Rural police district.
Shah moved the Supreme Court against the MP HC’s decision. However, while hearing the matter, the apex court had reprimanded the minister and also expressed displeasure over his apology during the hearings. On January 19, 2026 the SC had strongly reprimanded that the apology had come after considerable delay.
