Karnataka High Court Rejects Plea to Quash FIR Against Badminton Player Lakshya Sen

The Karnataka High Court has rejected the appeal to quash the FIR against badminton player Lakshya Sen over allegations of age fraud.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has refused to quash the FIR filed against renowned badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family members, and coach U. Vimal Kumar over allegations of age fraud.

Justice M.G. Uma, presiding over the case, issued the ruling on February 19 while hearing a petition filed by Sen and others seeking to dismiss the FIR and the related proceedings at the 8th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court in Bengaluru.

Allegations of Age Fraud

The case stems from allegations that Lakshya Sen falsely reduced his age by 2.5 years to qualify for badminton tournaments and avail of government benefits. It is claimed that he submitted a forged age certificate with incorrect information to the Karnataka Badminton Association.

M.G. Nagaraj, the complainant, obtained official documents from the Sports Authority of India through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and subsequently filed a private complaint. Based on this, the ACMM Court directed High Grounds Police Station to register an FIR and initiate an investigation.

High Court's Ruling

During the hearing, Sen’s legal representatives argued that the FIR and private complaint were baseless and intended to harass the athlete. However, the High Court observed that sufficient documentary evidence had been submitted by the complainant, making it inappropriate to dismiss the case at this stage.

Following the High Court’s refusal to quash the FIR, the petitioners have now approached the Supreme Court, where the matter is currently under consideration.