According to the complaint, Lakshya and Chirag’s birth certificates were allegedly altered to reduce their ages by about two and a half years
Lakshya Sen (Pic: AFP)
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed petitions filed by star badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family, and his coach Vimal Kumar regarding allegations of forging birth certificates. The court ruled that there was enough evidence to warrant an investigation.
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The case began after M G Nagaraj filed a private complaint accusing Sen’s parents, Dhirendra and Nirmala Sen, his brother Chirag Sen, coach U Vimal Kumar, and a Karnataka Badminton Association (KBA) employee of falsifying birth records.
According to the complaint, Lakshya and Chirag’s birth certificates were allegedly altered to reduce their ages by about two and a half years. This was reportedly done to help them qualify for age-restricted badminton tournaments and gain government benefits.
Nagaraj backed his claims with documents obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and requested the court to summon original records from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Based on this, the court directed High Grounds police to investigate.
Following the directive, police registered an FIR under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine). However, in 2022, the accused moved the Karnataka High Court and secured an interim order, temporarily halting the probe.
The petitioners argued that the allegations were false and motivated by personal grudges. They claimed Nagaraj was acting out of resentment after his daughter was not selected for the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in 2020, where Vimal Kumar is a coach.
Justice M G Uma dismissed the petitions, noting that the petitioners' lawyers failed to present their arguments despite multiple opportunities. The judge also refused to grant extra time for further hearings.
"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," Justice Uma stated. The court noted that the complainant had provided sufficient documentary evidence obtained through RTI, reinforcing the need for an investigation.
(With agency inputs)
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