HC imposes interim stay on 2023 Vikram Award for Adventure Sports

 

 

 

 

A single bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court comprising Justice Vishal Mishra imposed an interim stay on 2023 Vikram Award for Adventure Sports. The court ordered the event to be postponed until next hearing. The court issued a notice to the second claimant, Bhavna Dehariya, seeking a response. The next hearing will be held on January 5, 2026. Senior Advocate Vivek Krishna Tankha, representing mountaineer Megha Parmar, a resident of Sehore, presented the case via video conferencing.

 

Advocate Atul Jain also argued. He argued that since the petitioner is the rightful claimant, the award should not be given to anyone else until the final resolution of the petition. It was argued that the Madhya Pradesh Government has announced 2023 Vikram Award for Adventure Sports. Mountaineer Bhavna Dehariya, a resident of Chhindwara, has been selected for the award. The petitioner has no objection to Bhavna’s selection. She claims that she was among the first to hoist the tricolour on Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, on May 22, 2019. She hoisted the tricolour before Bhavna Dehariya.

 

There was a five-hour gap between the two. Megha reached the summit at 5 am, while Bhavna reached at 9:45 am. Therefore, like Bhavna, Megha also has a right to the Vikram Award. During the last hearing, senior advocate Tankha argued that rules for 2022 Vikram Award selection process were relaxed and names of two male athletes from the State, mountaineers Bhagwan Singh and Ratnesh, were approved. There was a one-hour gap between the two in achieving the target.

 

This is a precedent for changing the rule of awarding the award to only one athlete per year. According to the nomination process, this is the last opportunity for petitioner Megha to receive Vikram Award. The court was informed that petitioner Megha Parmar was appointed brand ambassador for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao being run in the State and Bhavna received this opportunity after Megha.