SC gives Centre 4-weeks to confer gallantry award on former Madhya Pradesh cop

SC gives Centre 4-weeks to confer gallantry award on former Madhya Pradesh cop Justice Nath questioned why the administration could not comply with the direction while simultaneously pursuing its review petition.

Key points

• According to The High Court had, the Union Administration had "overreached" its order by approving the Gallantry Medal, a lower decoration, instead of conferring the President's Gallantry Award.
• Approval granted for conferring President's Medal for Gallantry on former cop: Centre to Supreme Court.
• The direction was subsequently affirmed by a Division Bench and afterwards upheld by the Supreme Court.
• A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and R.
• Justice Nath questioned why the administration could not comply with the direction while simultaneously pursuing its review petition.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court expressed displeasure with the Union Administration 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. This person gunned down two dreaded dacoits in an encounter more than two decades ago.

In practice, 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 reservations 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 administration 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 obtain it, but not under a mandamus, " Mr. Mehta submitted.

"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When the Solicitor General argued that the award could be withdrawn if the review petition succeeded, the Bench remarked, "If it is allowed, then the award will go.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 matter?"

Accordingly, the Bench granted the Centre four weeks as the "last and final opportunity" to comply with the direction and cautioned that any further non-compliance would invite serious consequences.

"We are granting four weeks as the last and final opportunity. While directing the Union Administration to file a compliance affidavit within two weeks, if the award is not conferred within this period, the Home Secretary will have to appear in person to explain, " the Bench remarked. The matter was posted for further hearing after four weeks.

In practice, the proceedings arose from a contempt petition alleging that the Union Administration 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 afterwards upheld by the Supreme Court.

After which further proceedings would be initiated, 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".

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 regarding their presence in a village. Two dacoits were killed in the encounter, during which Mr. Chouhan himself sustained injuries. After a magisterial inquiry that provided him a clean chit, recommendations were created for his out-of-turn promotion and for the conferment of the President's Police Medal for Gallantry.

In short, SC gives Centre 4-weeks to confer gallantry award on former Madhya Pradesh is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.