The Karnataka High Court has dismissed the Writ Petitions filed by the famous badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family members, and his coach U Vimal Kumar in birth certificates' forgery case and allowed its investigation.

The Court said that there was a prima facie evidence warranting an investigation into the case.

A Single Bench of Justice M G Uma observed, "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."

The Bench noted that the Petitioners' counsel did not present arguments despite being given sufficient opportunities and hence, it refused a request for more time.

Advocate Varun Joshi appeared for the Petitioners while HCGP Venkat Sathyanarayan and Advocate K. Vijaya Kumar appeared for the Respondents.

Facts of the Case

A private Complaint was filed by one M G 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. As per the said 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 Act, 2005 (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 registered an FIR under Sections 420, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Resultantly, the Petitioners moved the High Court in 2022, securing an Interim Order that stalled the investigation.

It was argued by the Petitioners that the Complaint and subsequent FIR were baseless, motivated, and intended to harass them. They alleged that Nagaraj was acting out of personal vendetta, claiming that his daughter had applied to join the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in 2020 but was not selected after the evaluation process. Vimal Kumar, a coach at the academy, was named in the Complaint.

The High Court said that the Complainant had provided sufficient documentary evidence obtained through RTI, reinforcing the need for an investigation.

Accordingly, the Court dismissed the Writ Petitions.

Cause Title- Chirag Sen & Anr. v. State of Karnataka (Neutral Citation: 2025:KHC:7470)

Click here to read/download the Judgment



With PTI Inputs

Karnataka High CourtJustice MG UmaForgery

Verdictum News Desk