Supreme Court Quashes Age Fraud Case On Lakshya Sen
The Supreme Court dismissed an FIR against badminton star Lakshya Sen, his family, and coach for birth certificate forgery, citing lack of evidence and abuse of process.
The Supreme Court quashed an FIR against national badminton star Lakshya Sen, his family members, and coach in a case of birth certificate forgery on Monday (July 28).
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar observed that the allegations against Sen had already been debunked by competent authorities, adding that the complaintant sought to reopen the query without any substantial fresh evidence. The court declared the continuation of criminal proceedings against Sen an abuse of the process.
'The appellants, particularly appellant 1 and 3, are sportspersons of national standing, having represented India in international badminton tournaments and having earned multiple accolades, including medals at the Commonwealth Games and BWF international events," the court said. 'To compel such individuals who have maintained an unblemished record and brought distinction to the country through sustained excellence,to undergo the ordeal of a criminal trial in the absence of prima facie material would not subserve the ends of justice."
Sen was said to have undergone bone ossification and dental tests at government-run hospitals including AIIMS, Delhi, in 2016 under an investigation by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
'The findings of these tests supported the birth years as recorded in official documents. On that basis, the SAI closed the matter. The CVC, an independent oversight body, was also seized of the issue and recommended no disciplinary proceedings against D K Sen. These findings were accepted by the relevant authorities and have not been set aside or reopened," the bench said.
The top court was hearing a plea against a Karnataka High Court order dated February 19 rejecting the petitions filed by Sen, his family members, and his coach.
Complainant M G Nagaraj had alleged birth certificates of Sen and his brother Chirag Sen were forged and that their parents, Dhirendra and Nirmala Sen, and coach U Vimal Kumar, and an employee of the Karnataka Badminton Association, were involved. The alleged forgery was intended to allow them to participate in age-restricted badminton tournaments and avail government benefits.
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