NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Karnataka High Court's order declining to quash or pause a criminal investigation against star shuttler Lakshya Sen, his family, and coach Vimal Kumar, in relation with allegations of forging birth certificates.
SC Halts Criminal Investigation Against Lakshya Sen Over Birth Certificate Forgery
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah put on hold the HC's order while considering the plea seeking a stay. Senior advocate C A Sundaram and Advocate Rohini Musa argued the matter on behalf of petitioner Chirag Sen and another.
The counsel contended that the High Court dismissed the matter on merits when his associate sought accommodation. After hearing submissions, the bench issued notice on the plea. The court fixed the matter for consideration on April 16.
Lakshya Sen Case: Supreme Court Stays Probe Into Alleged Age Fraud
The High Court had observed that there was sufficient evidence to warrant an investigation into the matter. "When prima facie materials are placed on record that constitute the offenses, I do not find any reason to stall the investigation or quash the criminal proceedings," it said.
The HC had observed that the complainant had provided sufficient documentary evidence obtained through RTI, reinforcing the need for an investigation.
A private complaint was filed by M G Nagaraj alleging Sen's parents, Dhirendra and Nirmala Sen, his brother Chirag Sen, coach U Vimal Kumar, and a Karnataka Badminton Association (KBA) employee falsified birth records.
It was alleged that Lakshya, a former junior World champion, and Chirag's birth certificates were allegedly altered to reduce their ages by about two and a half years. It was claimed that falsification of records was done to help them qualify for age-restricted badminton tournaments and gain government benefits. The police registered an FIR under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the IPC.
