SC gives Centre 4 weeks to award gallantry medal to ex-MP cop

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Union government four weeks as a "last and final opportunity" to confer the President's Gallantry Award on former Madhya Pradesh police officer Vivek Singh Chouhan, warning that the Home Secretary would have to appear in person if the order was not complied with. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and R. Mahadevan expressed displeasure over repeated delays in implementing a Madhya Pradesh High Court direction from December 2024.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the government had filed a review petition against the Supreme Court's March 25 order that upheld the High Court direction, arguing an objection in principle against conferring the award under a mandamus. The bench questioned why the government could not comply while pursuing the review. The court directed the government to file a compliance affidavit within two weeks and posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks.

Chouhan, as station house officer of Ghatigaon in Gwalior in 2003, led an operation that killed two dacoits. He was injured in the encounter. A magisterial inquiry gave him a clean chit, and recommendations were made for the President's Police Medal for Gallantry. The High Court had earlier noted the government "overreached" its order by approving a lower decoration instead.