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2017 DIGILAW 671 (DEL)

Boppudinaga Ramesh v. Union of India

2017-02-20

A.K.CHAWLA, INDIRA BANERJEE

body2017
ORDER : 1. No one has appeared in support of the writ petition. There is no prayer for accommodation either. 2. We have perused the writ petition. On perusal of the writ petition, we find that the petitioner, an officer of the Indian Police Service has sought a writ of mandamus directing the respondents to reconsider awarding the President's Police Medal for Gallantry to the petitioner in the light of representations made by him. 3. The petitioner is apparently an Indian Police Service Officer of the West Bengal Cadre 1988 Batch. According to the petitioner, he is highly qualified. He did his B. Tech and thereafter, his MBA from DM Calcutta and Ph.D. from IIT Kharagpur. 4. In 2008, the petitioner joined the Central Reserve Police Force. 5. He served as Superintendent of Police in various districts, after which he was promoted to the rank of DIG and later to the rank of I.G. At the time of filing the writ petition, the petitioner was Additional Director General (Training), West Bengal. 6. The petitioner claims that in March 2011, he carried out operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir. Many senior police officials of Jammu and Kashmir praised the gallantry shown by the petitioner in course of the operations, in spite of injuries sustained by him. The petitioner was awarded the Parakaram Medal for showing exemplary bravery in course of operations notwithstanding the injuries suffered by him. 7. The petitioner claims that the Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, Shri K.D. Khuda, IPS had recommended the name of the petitioner for grant of the President's Police Medal for Gallantry. The then Home Secretary to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir Shri B.L. Sharma accepted the recommendation and forwarded the same to Shri Anirudh Uppal, IPS, Special Director General of CEPF, Jammu and Kashmir Zone. Unfortunately, however, the petitioner has not been awarded the President's Police Medal for Gallantry. 8. No officer can have any inherent right to a medal. A medal is conferred in recognition of outstanding services. It is not awarded to all officials involved in operations. In any case, this Court cannot assess whether the petitioner has wrongfully being denied the President's Police Medal. Parakaram Medal for Gallantry and President's Police Medal are not one and the same and receipt of 9. A medal is conferred in recognition of outstanding services. It is not awarded to all officials involved in operations. In any case, this Court cannot assess whether the petitioner has wrongfully being denied the President's Police Medal. Parakaram Medal for Gallantry and President's Police Medal are not one and the same and receipt of 9. Pararkaram Medal does not in itself entitle the petitioner to be nominated for the President's Police Medal for Gallantry. The case of the petitioner was considered by the Central Police Awarding Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the President's Police Medal for gallantry. The petitioner was however, not selected for being awarded the President's Police award for gallantry. Since the petitioner does not have any inherent right to be awarded the medal, the writ petition is dismissed.