Cong delegation meets MP Governor, seeks prosecution sanction against Minister Vijay Shah

Bhopal: A delegation of Congress MLAs led by Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar met Governor Mangubhai Patel on Tuesday and urged him to reconsider the state Cabinet’s decision not to grant prosecution sanction against Cabinet Minister Vijay Shah over his controversial remarks concerning Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.

The Congress delegation’s meeting came a day after Governor Patel approved the Cabinet’s proposal against granting sanction for Shah’s prosecution.

Singhar submitted a representation to the Governor, seeking reconsideration of the decision and urging that prosecution sanction be granted at the earliest.

“In a constitutional system of governance, no individual, irrespective of the position he or she holds, can be above the law,” Singhar said in his representation.

He said that when the matter involved compliance with directions of the Supreme Court, the government was expected to take an impartial, transparent and legally sound decision. “Therefore, I respectfully request you to kindly reconsider the matter of granting prosecution sanction against Shri Vijay Shah, keeping in view the sensitivity of the case and constitutional propriety, and kindly ensure that the prosecution sanction is granted at the earliest,” the Leader of Opposition said.

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, had on August 25 decided against granting sanction for prosecution of Shah.

The proposal was subsequently sent to the Governor for approval. The Governor’s decision came on Monday night, hours after the state government informed the Supreme Court that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case had completed its investigation and that the proposal on prosecution sanction was pending before the Governor.

During Monday’s hearing, the Supreme Court sought to know the next course of action following the decision on prosecution sanction.

The SIT officer present in court said that if sanction was granted, a chargesheet would be filed, while in case of refusal, the agency would submit a closure report.

The case pertains to remarks made by Shah at a public programme in the Mhow area in May 2025. His comments were understood to refer to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, had briefed the media during Operation Sindoor.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the remarks and directed registration of an FIR against Shah.

The Supreme Court subsequently granted him interim protection from arrest and ordered the formation of a three-member SIT to investigate the matter.

The SIT later completed its probe and sought sanction to prosecute Shah under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

IANS