New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh governor Mangubhai Patel has approved the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s decision to refuse sanction to prosecute the state’s tribal affairs minister Vijay Shah Shah over his remarks last year on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, reported New Indian Express.The decision was reportedly taken on Monday (August 31) night, just hours after the state government informed the Supreme Court that the decision to prosecute minister Vijay rested with the Governor. The state government told a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and J. Mohana that the prosecution sanction file had reached the governor and that a decision was expected shortly.Earlier, when a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) sought the state government’s approval to prosecute Shah according to the provisions of section 196(1)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), the Cabinet had turned down the request.The prosecution sanction is necessary for the court to take cognisance of the offence under Section 196 (promotion of communal hatred, ill-will) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Earlier, a Congress delegation had also met the governor and sought reconsideration of the proposal against granting prosecution sanction. The Congress also demanded appropriate action against the minister.The New Indian Express cited highly placed official sources in Bhopal to report that chief secretary Ashok Barnwal met Governor Patel at Lok Bhawan after the Governor returned to Bhopal on Monday and the cabinet’s recommendation was subsequently placed before the Governor. Thereafter, governor Patel approved the proposal against granting prosecution sanction.The SIT constituted by the Supreme Court had earlier completed its investigation and filed the final report, and was awaiting the sanction of the Madhya Pradesh government to prosecute Shah.Shah had made derogatory, communal remarks against Colonel Qureshi, who was one of the faces of the press briefings on Operation Sindoor, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.“Jinhone humari betiyon ke sindoor ujade the…humne unki behen bhej kar ke unki aisi ki taisi karwayi (Those [terrorists] who wiped out the vermilion of our sisters [in the Pahalgam attack]… we avenged these people by sending their sister to destroy them),” Shah had said, repeating at least thrice that their community’s sister was sent by Modiji to destroy them.