Vijay Shah-Sofiya Qureshi Case: MP Governor Accepts Cabinet Proposal Denying Prosecution Sanction

On Monday evening, Governor Mangubhai Patel granted his assent to the Cabinet's proposal on August 25th, denying prosecution for Tribal Welfare Minister Vijay Shah, as per the source <source b62e8b40-05c>. Patel granted his nod to the recommendation after discussing it with Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal in Bhopal earlier in the day.

The state government had previously informed the Supreme Court of their decision on the matter. Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj informed the court that the state government's recommendation on prosecution sanction was pending before the Governor. The High Court had taken notice of the controversial remarks made by Shah against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi on May 14, 2025, and directed the registration of a criminal case, leading Shah to take his appeal to the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Surya Kant questioned the SIT about the next steps if sanction for prosecuting Shah was not granted, to which Nataraj stated that a closure report would have to be filed. The SIT had investigated Shah's remarks against Qureshi under Section 196(1)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Now that the Governor has accepted the Cabinet's recommendation, the government may file a closure report in court based on the denial of prosecution sanction.