The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed the Vikram Award 2023 after a dispute between Everest climbers over who reached the summit first. The legal battle intensifies as both mountaineers stake their claim to the state’s top sports honor.
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MADHYA PRADESH: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted an interim stay on the awarding of the prestigious Vikram Award 2023, following a petition by mountaineer Megha Parmar, who has challenged the state’s decision to honor Everest climber Bhawna Dehariya with the top sports award.
The interim order was issued by Justice Vishal Mishra of the Jabalpur bench, who scheduled the next hearing for January 5.
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The dispute centers on who was the first woman from Madhya Pradesh to hoist the tricolour on Mount Everest in 2019.
- Megha Parmar, a resident of Sehore, claims she reached the summit on May 22, 2019, at 5:00 am.
- Bhawna Dehariya reportedly summited the world’s highest peak at 9:45 am the same day.
According to the petition, because Parmar reached the summit earlier, she should be considered the rightful candidate for the Vikram Award, which is the highest sporting honor in Madhya Pradesh.
Parmar’s counsel argued that the state has previously modified the selection criteria for the Vikram Award:
- In 2016, mountaineers Bhagwan Singh and Ratnesh Pandey, whose summit times differed by just one hour, were both selected for the award.
- The petitioner states that this establishes a precedent for awarding more than one athlete in the same year.
Megha Parmar further emphasized that this year is her last chance to qualify, according to the nomination rules.
Senior Advocate Vivek Krishna Tankha argued that Parmar is a legitimate and deserving candidate. He urged the court to prevent the award from being granted to anyone else until the matter is fully resolved.
Taking note of the submissions, the court directed the authorities not to conduct the Vikram Award 2023 ceremony until the next hearing.
Complicating matters further, mountaineer and Everester Madhusudan Patidar has also approached the Indore bench, claiming his eligibility for the same award in 2023. This additional petition may play a role in the outcome.
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