The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by mountaineer Madhusudan Patidar—who scaled Mount Everest in 2017—rejecting his claim to the prestigious Vikram Award in the adventure sports category and holding that the state government committed no error in conferring the honour for 2023 on mountaineer Bhawna Dehariya.
Justice Pranay Verma delivered the decision, concluding that Patidar’s claim was “devoid of any merit” and that his conquest of Everest fell outside the eligibility period prescribed under the Madhya Pradesh Awards Rules, 2021.
Patidar, a resident of Indore, approached the High Court submitting that his seniority in mountaineering entitled him to the Vikram Award. His petition stated that the state announced the award in favour of Dehariya—who scaled Mount Everest in 2019—without considering his representation.
On August 5, the High Court had granted an interim stay on Dehariya’s award just hours before the state’s Shikhar Khel Awards ceremony in Bhopal.
After examining records, the court found that Patidar’s Everest summit in 2017 occurred more than five years prior to the 2023 award year, placing him outside the eligibility criteria.
The Madhya Pradesh Awards Rules, 2021 require adventure sports applicants to show consistent participation over the preceding five years and “outstanding achievements with outstanding performance.”
Holding Patidar ineligible, the court observed that the state government rightly rejected his claim.
Justice Verma upheld the government’s decision to confer the award on Dehariya, noting:
“Consequently, the petition has no merit and is dismissed. Thus, in view of the aforementioned discussion, I do not find any error having been committed by respondents 1 and 2 in conferring the Vikram Award in the adventure sports category in favour of respondent No. 3.”
Advocate Ankur Tiwari appeared for Patidar, while advocate Anunay Shrivastava represented Dehariya.
Instituted in 1972, the Vikram Award is Madhya Pradesh’s highest sports honour. Each year, twelve outstanding athletes across various sporting disciplines are selected. Awardees receive ₹2 lakh, a memento, and are recognised as outstanding athletes with eligibility for government service appointments.
