New Delhi, The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that approval has been granted for conferring the prestigious President’s Medal for Gallantry on a former police officer who shot dead two dacoits during an operation in 2003.
The apex court had in July expressed its displeasure over the Centre’s non-compliance with a Madhya Pradesh High Court direction to confer the award on former police officer Vivek Singh Chouhan. The top court was hearing an application filed by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The home secretary had approached the apex court against the high court’s order that held the secretary prima facie guilty of contempt for failing to comply with its direction to confer the President’s Gallantry Medal on the police officer.
The contempt action arose from the Centre’s alleged failure to comply with the high court’s December 9, 2024, direction asking the government to confer the gallantry award on Chouhan within a month. Chouhan, who was the station house officer of the Ghatigaon police station in Gwalior district in 2003, had led an operation against dacoits after receiving intelligence about their presence in a village.
“The Solicitor General has placed before the court a communication dated August 20, 2026 issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs whereby approval has been granted for the President’s Medal for Gallantry which would be duly notified in the Gazette of India in the due course,” the bench noted. The counsel appearing for Chouhan told the apex court that contempt proceedings pending before the high court would be duly withdrawn.
