The Bombay High Court has instructed the central government to make a decision by May 4 regarding the posthumous granting of the Padma Vibhushan award to wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, who was India’s initial individual Olympic medal winner. In their April 15 ruling, Justices Madhav Jamdar and Pravin Patil from the Kolhapur bench noted that Jadhav, a Maharashtra native and wrestler, undisputedly holds that distinction. The court addressed a public interest litigation brought by the Kusteeveer Khashaba Jadhav Foundation, established by his son Ranjeet Jadhav.
The litigation requested that the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Padma Awards section re-evaluate and decide on their request for the posthumous Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second-most prestigious civilian honor, for Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav.
The high court ordered the Union of India to reach a suitable conclusion by May 4, with the case scheduled for additional review on May 5.
The court also stated that the state government should promptly fulfill any necessary obligations if needed.
Khashaba Jadhav, who died in 1984, secured a bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. He received the Arjuna Award after his death in 2001.
According to the litigation, the wrestler’s family submitted multiple requests to the government for acknowledgment, but with no reply, the foundation approached the high court.
