October 23: The Supreme Court has issued an order to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to register new records related to mountaineering only after following the due processes as per the existing legal provisions.

The apex court order has also directed the ministry to publicise the records only after properly verifying if the claims fulfill all the legal criteria.

The order was issued by a division bench of justices Cholendra SJB Rana and Dambar Bahadur Shahi. Although the order was issued last year, the SC made the full text available only a few days ago.

The Supreme Court issued such directive in a case related to the fastest ascent of Mt Everest after observing serious lapses in a government decision related to the issue, which was taken without following the legal procedures.

The issue came to the fore after a dispute between Lakpa Ghelu Sherpa and Pemba Dorje Sherpa, both of whom claimed to have climbed the world’s highest peak in the shortest time. Lakpa Ghelu Sherpa had filed a writ petition at the SC after the government recognized Pemba as the fastest person to climb Mt Everest.

The bench observed that the government had not followed the due process and the working procedure prescribed by the law while declaring the fastest ascent of Mt Everest. The SC said that the government gave recognition to Pemba Dorje Sherpa for the fastest ascent of Mt Everest (8 hours 10 minutes) without properly verifying the records as per the legal provisions. The petitioner, whose record of fastest ascent with a timing of 10 hours and 56 minute was upheld by the SC, had even raised doubts whether Pemba Dorje Sherpa ever climbed the world’s highest peak.

The apex court said that Pemba failed to attest the proof that he stood atop the highest peak of the world with a record timing, invalidating his record approved by the government.