Jammu: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, has sought additional time to decide on granting prosecution sanction against IAS officers allegedly involved in the high-profile Arms Licences Scam. The development came after the MHA submitted a fresh affidavit before the Jammu Wing of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
In the affidavit, filed in Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 09/2012) titled Sheikh Mohammad Shafi and Another vs. Union of India and Others, the MHA stated that, following a Division Bench order dated August 7, 2025, a meeting was held on August 27, 2025, under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary (UT). Officials from the J&K Government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) attended the meeting to discuss the CBI’s proposal for sanctioning prosecution against IAS officers named in the FIR.
The affidavit—filed through CGSC Eishan Dadhichi and settled by Senior Advocate Vishal Sharma, Deputy Solicitor General of India—reveals that after reviewing inputs from both the J&K Government and the CBI, the MHA decided to seek further clarifications from both agencies before taking a final decision on the prosecution sanction.
Accordingly, letters were issued on September 1, 2025, to the J&K Administration and the CBI. The J&K Government submitted its response on September 26, 2025, while the CBI’s reply is still awaited. The MHA has stated that once the CBI’s input is received, the matter will be examined in detail and a final decision will be made.
During the recent hearing held virtually before the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal, DSGI Vishal Sharma informed the court that although a fresh affidavit had been filed on behalf of the MHA, it had not yet been placed on record due to certain procedural objections. The court subsequently adjourned the matter to November 20, 2025, for further hearing.
Advocates S.S. Ahmed and Supriya Chouhan appeared for the petitioner, while Senior Additional Advocate General Mohsin S. Qadri, assisted by counsel Maha Majeed, represented the Government of Jammu & Kashmir.
