Briefs Respite For Lakshya Sen, Supreme Court Orders Stay On Sanction Issued By Karnataka HC Over Alleged Age Fraud

Lakshya Sen has received some relief from the Supreme Court after they issued a notice on the special leave petition filed by the Indian badminton star. After the Karnataka High Court refused to drop the investigation on the allegations of age fraud, a bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice K Vinod Chandran of the Supreme Court issued a stay order to K'taka HC's steps. The case will now be heard on April 16, 2025.

Lakshya Sen Gets Relief From Supreme Court 

Indian badminton star and Olympian Lakshya Sen landed on thin ice after he and his brother were accused of forging their birth certificate to take part in underage badminton tournaments. The case was filed by MG Nagaraj, who claimed that Chirag & Lakshya Sen's parents, his coach U Vimal Kumar and a Karnataka Badminton Association employee were involved in faking their birth records. The complainant added that the manipulation of the birth certificates of Chirag & Lakshya Sen reduced their age by two and a half years for them to take part in the underage tournaments and also avail of government benefits.

The Police have filed an FIR under the IPC Sections 420 [Cheating], 468 [Forgery] and 471 [using forged documents as genuine], as per Nagaraja's complaint.

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What Did The Karnataka HC Say On the Lakshya Sen Case?

Earlier, the Karnataka High Court had rejected the petition from Lakshya Sen, his parents Nirmala and Dhirandra Sen as well as his coach for age fraud and forging birth certificates. They pointed out that the prima facie proof was present in the case, which can warrant an investigation into the matter.

"When prima facie materials are placed on record which constitute the offences, I do not find any reason either to stall the investigation or to quash the initiation of criminal proceedings. There are sufficient materials that are placed before the Court by the complainant which are the documents that are obtained under the Right to Information Act from the appropriate authority. Under such circumstances, I do not find any reason to entertain the petitions," Justice Makkimane Ganeshaiah Uma said while dismissing the petition from Lakshya Sen.

Nagaraj, who runs a badminton academy in Bengaluru, has supported his claims from the documents he acquired under the RTI act, and he urged the court to call for authentic records from SAI and the Ministry of Youth Affairs. The court has directed the High Grounds Police Station to take up an investigation based on the evidence.

With the case not expected to be heard on April 16, it is yet to be seen whether Lakshya Sen is found guilty or if he is not at fault.

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