Bhopal:
The derogatory and discriminatory remarks that plunged Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah into one of the biggest controversies of his political career more than a year ago have returned to haunt the Mohan Yadav government.
But this time, the issue is no longer only about what Shah said about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. The more consequential question is whether the Madhya Pradesh government will allow its own minister to be prosecuted after a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team sought sanction to proceed against him.
According to government sources, the answer emerging from Bhopal is no.
In a significant development after Tuesday’s regular Cabinet meeting, the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet is learnt to have decided against granting prosecution sanction to Shah.
Read: “No Repentance”: Top Court On Minister’s Colonel Sofiya Qureshi Remark
What makes the episode politically more striking is how the issue was reportedly handled.
The proposal was not part of the publicly disclosed Cabinet agenda, Cabinet Minister Rakesh Singh also maintained while speaking to reporters. However, sources said that after the routine agenda was completed, most officials were asked to leave the meeting room and a restricted discussion on the Shah case followed.
Shah was reportedly allowed to present his version before his Cabinet colleagues and explain the circumstances surrounding his remarks, the subsequent investigation and the findings of the SIT. The Cabinet is then learnt to have backed the view that prosecution sanction should not be granted.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case again on August 31.
The SIT, constituted on the top court’s directions, has completed its investigation and sought sanction to prosecute Shah under Section 196(1)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to promoting enmity between groups.
The Supreme Court has already expressed strong displeasure over the delay in taking a decision.
In January, the court directed the Madhya Pradesh government to decide on prosecution sanction within two weeks. When the matter remained unresolved months later, the court again pulled up the state government in May, observing, “Enough is enough”, and giving it four weeks to take a decision.
The Cabinet’s reported decision now comes just days before the Supreme Court is scheduled to take up the matter again.
The controversy dates back to May 2025, when Shah, while speaking at a public programme, made remarks referring to Colonel Qureshi in the context of terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack.
His comments triggered widespread outrage.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court took suo motu cognisance of the remarks and ordered registration of an FIR. The matter subsequently reached the Supreme Court, which constituted a three-member SIT to investigate the case.
The SIT completed its investigation and eventually sought the state’s sanction to prosecute Shah.
The question of sanction has since become a legal and political flashpoint, with the state government’s decision now likely to come under renewed scrutiny before the Supreme Court.
Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar has written to the Governor seeking intervention and questioning why an investigating agency’s request for prosecution should be blocked merely because the accused is a minister.
Congress has framed the issue around a basic question: can there be one law for an ordinary citizen and another for a Cabinet minister?
Singhar has alleged that the Mohan Yadav government is attempting to shield Shah despite the findings of an SIT constituted under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
He has asked the Governor to ensure that the matter is dealt with impartially and that the prosecution process is allowed to proceed in accordance with law.
The BJP, however, has rejected allegations that Shah is being improperly protected.
State BJP president Hemant Khandelwal has maintained that the government takes decisions after considering the facts and all aspects of a case, arguing that whatever position is adopted will be a considered one.
The Shah camp has repeatedly pointed to his apologies. Shah has apologised on several occasions and maintained that he never intended to insult Colonel Qureshi or the armed forces.
During earlier proceedings, the Supreme Court questioned its timing and sincerity, observing that if the remarks were genuinely a slip, an immediate apology should have followed rather than one coming after judicial intervention.
