Rajasthan: After almost 5-decade legal battle, 81-yr-old gets varsity gold medal

In a special ceremony, V-C of University of Rajasthan, J P Singhal, handed over the medal and a citation to Singhvi, who was promoted as IAS officer in 1979.

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Rajasthan University V-C J P Singhal hands over a citation to Singhvi (second from right) in Jaipur Thursday. (Express Photo)

Nearly half a century ago, Ajeet Singh Singhvi, then a 34-year-old Rajasthan Administrative Services officer, attended LLB evening classes at Government Dungar College, Bikaner. While he completed the course in 1969, it took 47 years to rectify an error that denied him a gold medal back then.

A classmate and a distant relative, Sawai Singh, was adjudged recipient of the medal based only on final year marks, an ‘error’ which Singhvi, now 81, feels could have been addressed in “five minutes” then. Singhvi contested and said marks of both years should be considered for the honour.

What followed was a case that spanned the munsif (civil) court, a district court, the high court, with Singhvi appearing over 300 times to argue his own case after two of his counsels passed away in the course of the trial. On Thursday, that journey came to an end.

In a special ceremony, V-C of University of Rajasthan, J P Singhal, handed over the medal and a citation to Singhvi, who was promoted as IAS officer in 1979.

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“Sometimes, it is better to suffer injustice than seek justice,” Singhvi said on receiving the medal.

University spokesperson Bhupendra Singh Shekhawat said: “Singhvi and his friends came from Bikaner for this ceremony. The V-C congratulated him on receiving the gold medal after a 47-year-long struggle.”

Singhvi said the munsif court had ruled in his favour in 1975. “However, Sawai Singh appealed against the order, in the district court and then in the high court. Both ruled in my favour,” the latter in 2003,” he said.

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University advocate Ashok Kumar Maru said the “university had accepted in civil court in 1975 that Singhvi should get the medal. But Sawai Singh went to higher courts and the matter was delayed. Last year, the civil court directed execution of decree.”

Before leaving for home, Singhvi said he would write to University Chancellor, Governor Kalyan Singh, “to fix responsibility”.

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