Lakshya Sen birth certificate forgery case: Karnataka HC okays investigation

The Supreme Court on 25 February, Tuesday barred Karnataka Police from taking any coercive steps against badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family members, and coach over allegations of forging birth certificates.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran issued notice to the Karnataka government and the complainant M G Nagaraj who alleged birth certificates of Sen and his brother Chirag Sen were forged.

The Karnataka High Court has 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 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.

According to the complaint, the accused allegedly manipulated the birth certificates of Lakshya and Chirag Sen, reducing their age by approximately 2.5 years. The alleged forgery was intended to allow them to participate in age-restricted badminton tournaments and avail government benefits.

The high court ruled there was prima facie evidence warranting an investigation into the case.

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 has directed the High Grounds, Bengaluru police station to conduct an investigation.

Following the court's directive, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine). However, the petitioners moved the Karnataka High Court in 2022, securing an interim order that stalled the investigation.

The petitioners argued 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.

Justice M.G. Uma, while dismissing the petitions, observed that the petitioners' counsel did not present arguments despite being given sufficient opportunities. The judge also refused a request for more time.

"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," Justice Uma stated.

The court noted that the complainant had provided sufficient documentary evidence obtained through RTI, reinforcing the need for an investigation.