The Supreme Court has stayed proceedings against former world’s no. 1 junior badminton champion Lakshya Sen and others over allegations that his birth certificate was forged, permitting him to compete in junior badminton tournaments.
The Bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice K Vinod Chandran on Tuesday issued notice to the Karnataka government and complainant MG Nagaraj, and listed the matter for further hearing on April 16.
An FIR was registered on December 1, 2022 at High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru, Karnataka against Lakshya Sen and others on the basis of a private complaint filed by Nagaraj.
The FIR was lodged under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The complainant alleged that the birth certificates of Lakshya Sen and his brother Chirag Sen were fraudulently altered by their parents in collusion with their coach, an employee of the Karnataka Badminton Association.
The complainant alleged that the fraud reduced the ages of the two brothers by approximately two-and-a-half years, permitting them to compete in underage badminton tournaments and claim government benefits.
Lakshya Sen, his brother Chirag, their parents and their coach (appellants) approached the Karnataka High Court seeking the quashing of the criminal proceedings.
On February 19, 2025, the single-judge Bench of Justice MG Uma dismissed their petition and allowed the investigation to proceed.
The High Court opined that since prima facie material existed to indicate the commission of the alleged offences, there was no reason to halt the investigation or quash the criminal proceedings.
The appellants then approached the Supreme Court for relief.