Relief For Lakshya Sen, Supreme Court Stays Coercive Action Over Age Fraud Allegation Case

The Supreme Court issued notice in a Special Leave Petition filed by Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen, challenging the Karnataka High Court's order rejecting his plea to quash an investigation into the allegation of fabricating birth certificates to participate in the underage badminton tournament. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K. Vinod Chandran issued notice and stayed coercive steps against them. The matter will now be heard on April 16.

Earlier, the Karnataka High Court rejected the petitions filed by ace badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family members, and his coach U Vimal Kumar in connection with allegations of fabricating birth certificates. The court ruled that there was prima facie evidence warranting an investigation into the case. The case originated from a private complaint filed by MG Nagaraj, who alleged that Lakshya Sen's parents Dhirendra and Nirmala Sen, along with his brother Chirag Sen, coach U Vimal Kumar, and an employee of the Karnataka Badminton Association, were involved in falsifying birth records.

According to the complaint, the accused allegedly manipulated the birth certificates of Lakshya and Chirag Sen, reducing their age by approximately two and a half years. The alleged forgery was intended to allow them to participate in age-restricted badminton tournaments and avail government benefits.

Nagaraj supported his claims with documents obtained under 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 in New Delhi. Based on this evidence, the court directed the High Grounds police station to conduct an investigation.

Following the court's directive, the police