Supreme Court of India.
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The Supreme Court expressed displeasure with the Union Government on Monday (July 20, 2026) over the repeated delay in conferring the President’s Gallantry Award on a former Madhya Pradesh police officer Vivek Singh Chouhan, who gunned down two dreaded dacoits in an encounter more than two decades ago.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and R. Mahadevan, hearing an application filed by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, granted the Centre time till July 29 to comply with the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s direction to confer the award on Mr. Chouhan.
“This concerns a police officer who risked his life in service. The High Court has directed the award to be conferred. What is the justification for seeking further time now?” the Bench asked.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed the Bench that the government had filed a review petition against the Supreme Court’s March 25 order affirming the High Court’s direction.
“We have filed a review. It is an objection in principle. If Your Lordships can consider the review, we can work it out. He may eventually get it, but not under a mandamus,” Mr. Mehta submitted.
Justice Nath questioned why the government could not comply with the direction while simultaneously pursuing its review petition.
“Why don’t you comply and then argue your review?” the Bench asked.
When the Solicitor General argued that the award could be withdrawn if the review petition succeeded, the Bench remarked, “If it is allowed, then the award will go. Why can’t you comply? Why are you making it an issue?”
Final opportunity
Accordingly, the Bench granted the Centre four weeks as the “last and final opportunity” to comply with the direction and warned that any further non-compliance would invite serious consequences.
“We are granting four weeks as the last and final opportunity. If the award is not conferred within this period, the Home Secretary will have to appear in person to explain,” the Bench said, while directing the Union Government to file a compliance affidavit within two weeks. The matter was posted for further hearing after four weeks.
The proceedings arose from a contempt petition alleging that the Union Government had failed to implement the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s December 9, 2024 order directing that the award be conferred on Mr. Chouhan within one month. The direction was subsequently affirmed by a Division Bench and later upheld by the Supreme Court.
The High Court had observed that the Union Government had “overreached” its order by approving the Gallantry Medal, a lower decoration, instead of conferring the President’s Gallantry Award.
Justice Pranay Verma had nevertheless granted the Union one final opportunity to comply with the earlier direction, warning that if it failed to do so before the next hearing, the Home Secretary “shall automatically be deemed to be held in contempt”, following which further proceedings would be initiated.
Mr. Chouhan, who was serving as the Station House Officer of Ghatigaon police station in Gwalior district in 2003, had led an operation against a gang of dacoits after receiving intelligence about their presence in a village. Two dacoits were killed in the encounter, during which Mr. Chouhan himself sustained injuries. Following a magisterial inquiry that gave him a clean chit, recommendations were made for his out-of-turn promotion and for the conferment of the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry.
Published – July 20, 2026 10:49 pm IST
