Jammu, Oct 13: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has requested additional time to take a final decision on granting prosecution sanction against IAS officers allegedly involved in the high profile Arms Licences Scam. The request was made through a fresh affidavit filed before the Jammu Wing of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The affidavit, submitted in Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 09/2012) titled Sheikh Mohammad Shafi & Another vs Union of India & Others, stated that following a Division Bench order on August 7, 2025, a meeting was convened on August 27 under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary (UT). Officials from the J&K Government and the CBI were also present to discuss the CBI’s proposal for sanctioning prosecution against the IAS officers named in the FIR.
After reviewing inputs from both the J&K Government and the CBI, the MHA decided to seek further clarifications from both agencies to facilitate a final decision. Letters were sent on September 1, 2025, to the J&K Administration and the CBI. The J&K Government responded on September 26, while the CBI’s reply is still pending. The MHA confirmed that the proposal will be thoroughly examined once the CBI response is received, and an appropriate decision will follow.
During the virtual hearing before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal, Deputy Solicitor General Vishal Sharma informed the court that the affidavit had been filed but was not yet placed on record due to procedural objections. Consequently, the matter was adjourned to November 20, 2025, for further hearing.
Advocates S.S. Ahmed and Supriya Chouhan appeared for the petitioners, while Senior Additional Advocate General Mohsin S. Qadri, assisted by counsel Maha Majeed, represented the J&K Government.