Vijay Shah case may begin in Indore court:SC gives state two weeks to decide prosecution over controversial remarks

The difficulties of Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah, who made a controversial statement regarding Colonel Sophia Qureshi, continue to increase. The Supreme Court has granted the state government two weeks to decide on sanctions for prosecution against Shah. According to legal experts, once sanction is granted, the trial in this matter can be initiated in the Indore court. The Supreme Court has directed the state government to decide on prosecution within a two-week timeframe. Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav is currently in Davos, Switzerland, attending the World Economic Forum until January 23. In view of this, further action in the Vijay Shah case is expected to be taken after the Chief Minister returns from Davos. SC hearing after 6 months The Vijay Shah matter came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday after a gap of six months. During the hearing, the court observed that Shah’s online apology was no longer relevant and remarked that it was ‘too late’. The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Suryakant, Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, expressed strong displeasure over the state government’s failure to decide on the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report for several months. The SIT had already completed its investigation and submitted its final report, yet no action had been taken. Court questions government delay During the proceedings, the Chief Justice pointed out that the SIT report had been under consideration since August 19, 2025. ‘The law places an obligation on you, and you have to make a decision. Now it is January 19,’ the court observed. The bench opened the sealed SIT report and noted that, after examining various aspects of the case, the SIT had sought government approval to prosecute Vijay Shah. The court further stated that it had been informed that no action was taken by the state government on the grounds that the matter was pending before the Supreme Court. Directing the government to act, the court ordered the State of Madhya Pradesh to take appropriate steps for granting sanction as per the law. Apology rejected by the court Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh government submitted that it had refrained from acting on the SIT’s request because the matter was sub judice. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Vijay Shah, argued that Shah had already apologised for his remarks. The court rejected this submission, stating, ‘Where is the apology? There is nothing on record. It is too late now.’ History of controversial statements This is not the first time Vijay Shah has landed in controversy. In the past, he was forced to resign from his ministerial position following remarks related to the wife of former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. More recently, he made another controversial statement concerning the Ladli Behna scheme in Ratlam district. Following these incidents, Congress leaders have intensified protests against Shah and are demanding his removal from the cabinet. On Tuesday in Bhopal, Congress workers staged a protest. State Congress general secretary Amit Sharma, wearing a mask depicting Vijay Shah, led a symbolic demonstration by taking a handcuffed worker to a police outpost, reiterating the demand for Shah’s dismissal.