The Karnataka High Court has dismissed petitions from renowned badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family, and coach U Vimal Kumar, allowing the investigation into allegations of birth certificate forgery to proceed. The court’s decision came after a private complaint accused them of manipulating official records to meet age criteria for participating in youth sports competitions and to secure government sports benefits.
The complaint, lodged by M G Nagaraj, asserts that Lakshya Sen, his brother Chirag Sen, parents Dhirendra and Nirmala Sen, along with coach Vimal Kumar and an employee of the Karnataka Badminton Association, deliberately altered the birth details in official documents. This purported forgery reduced the ages of Lakshya and Chirag by approximately two and a half years.
The allegations were substantiated with documents obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The complainant urged the court to request original records from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to further validate the claims. Following these developments, the High Grounds police station in Bangalore registered a First Information Report (FIR) under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating and forgery.
The accused parties had previously obtained an interim order in 2022 that temporarily halted the police investigation, arguing that the allegations were baseless and motivated by personal vendetta. They claimed that Nagaraj’s actions were spurred by resentment after his daughter failed to gain admission to the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, where coach Vimal Kumar serves.
However, Justice M G Uma of the Karnataka High Court ruled that the interim order would be lifted, citing the presence of prima facie evidence that justified continuing the investigation. The judge noted that the petitioners’ defense failed to convincingly counter the allegations, despite being given ample opportunities to do so.
In her ruling, Justice Uma stated, “When prima facie materials are placed on record that constitute the offenses, I do not find any reason to stall the investigation or quash the criminal proceedings.” She highlighted that the documentary evidence presented through the RTI requests played a crucial role in her decision to allow the probe to go forward.
