The Supreme Court issued a notice prohibiting coercive action against badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family, and his coach U Vimal Kumar regarding allegations of birth certificate forgery. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah issued the notice against the Karnataka High Court’s order in the matter following a plea filed by Chirag Sen and another petitioner. The matter will now be heard on April 16.
The case was registered based on a private complaint by M G Nagaraj accusing Lakshya Sen and his parents Dhirendra Kumar Sen and Nirmala Sen, his brother Chirag Sen, and coach U Vimal Kumar of fabricating Lakshya and Chirag’s birth certificates. The complaint alleges that birth certificates were forged to lower their ages by around two and a half years to have them qualify for age-restricted badminton tournaments and receive government benefits.
The complaint was filed using documents obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and Nagaraj requested the court to summon original records from the Sports Authority of India and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru registered an FIR on December 1, 2022, under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents), and 34 (criminal act done by several persons with common intention). The VIII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Bengaluru, directed the police to conduct an investigation based on the complaint.
The accused filed writ petitions in the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the FIR and obtained an interim stay on the investigation in December 2022. They argued that the complaint was baseless and motivated by personal reasons, stating that Nagaraj’s daughter had applied to join the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in 2020, but was not selected. They claimed that Nagaraj filed the complaint as retaliation and wrongfully implicated Vimal Kumar and the Sen family.
The High Court, however, did not accept this argument and ruled that the case required further investigation. A bench of Justice MG Uma dismissed the writ petitions on February 19 and noted that the petitioners’ legal counsel did not present arguments despite multiple opportunities. Their request for additional time was denied.
The HC examined the documents obtained through RTI and found inconsistencies in the birth records of Lakshya and Chirag Sen. The court also considered a departmental inquiry by the Sports Authority of India, which found that Dhirendra Kumar Sen had altered age-related documents. It was alleged that he colluded with Vimal Kumar, Nirmala Sen, and an employee of the Karnataka Badminton Association to fabricate the birth certificates of his sons.
The court ruled that there was sufficient material to justify a full investigation. Justice Uma stated, “When prima facie materials are placed on record that constitute the offences, I do not find any reason to stall the investigation or quash the criminal proceedings.”
Lakshya Sen reached the men’s singles quarterfinals at the recent Paris Olympics. Previously, he has won medals at the World Championships, Thomas Cup, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asia Team events. His titles include the Canada Open, and he was runner-up at the All-England Open. As a junior, he medaled at the Youth Olympics, World Juniors, and Asia Juniors. He has trained at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy under the guidance of Vimal Kumar.