Supreme Court quashes criminal case against Lakshya and Chirag Sen over alleged age fraud in junior tournaments.
Case in News
Supreme court clears Lakshya Chirag Sen case involving alleged age fraud in junior badminton events .
Case Overview
Case Name– Chirag Sen And Another Etc. vs. State Of Karnataka And Another
On July 28, the Supreme Court of India quashed a criminal case against international badminton players Lakshya Sen and Chirag Sen . The FIR accused them, along with their parents and coach U . Vimal Kumar, of fabricating birth records to participate in junior-level tournaments . The bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Aravind Kumar held that the allegations lacked substance and appeared to be driven by a personal vendetta .
Key Aspects
The Court carefully examined the facts and circumstances surrounding the complaint . It noted that the allegations arose from a solitary, unverified document and appeared to be influenced by personal motives . Below are the key facts and issues of the case :
- FIR was registered under Sections 420, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) .
- Allegation : falsifying age to gain unfair selection advantage in U-13 and U-15 events.
- The complaint relied solely on an unverified 1996 GPF nomination form .
- Filed by Nagaraja M.G., whose daughter was denied academy admission .
Legal Insights
The Court assessed the applicability of the alleged criminal provisions and found no legal basis to continue prosecution . It also referenced precedent on the misuse of criminal law to serve personal agendas . The key legal insights are :
- Section 420 IPC (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) : No dishonest inducement or delivery of property was shown .
- Section 468 IPC (Forgery for purpose of cheating) : No document was proven to be forged by the accused .
- Section 471 IPC (Using a forged document as genuine) : No evidence of knowingly using any forged document .
- The Court referenced Pepsi Foods Ltd. v. Special Judicial Magistrate, (1998) 5 SCC 749 emphasizing that criminal prosecution must not be misused for collateral motives .
- Age verification was already conducted by AIIMS Delhi and the Sports Authority of India had closed the matter .
Court’s Verdict
The Supreme Court quashed the FIR, ruling that no prima facie offence was made out . It called the prosecution an abuse of legal process aimed more at harassing the players than seeking justice .
Source – Supreme Court of India
Read also – Indian Penal Code
