Supreme Court stays Karnataka HC order; halts investigation in Lakshya Sen age-fraud case

The Supreme Court of India has stayed the Karnataka High Court's order allowing further investigation into an age-fraud case involving badminton player Lakshya Sen, his brother Chirag Sen, their parents, and coach U. Vimal Kumar. A bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice K. Vinod Chandran issued the stay, putting a hold on all ongoing and future investigations in the case.

The Karnataka High Court had, on February 19, 2025, permitted the probe to continue into allegations that the Sen brothers' birth records had been tampered with to make them eligible for junior tournaments. Challenging this decision, the family and coach moved to the Supreme Court. After hearing the petition, the apex court put a hold on the High Court's order, granting relief to the accused.

Senior advocate Aryama Sunderam, representing Lakshya Sen and others, argued that the Karnataka High Court had passed its ruling without hearing the petitioners. Advocates Badri Vishal, Varun Joshi, and Ayush Negi also represented the Sen family and their coach.

Following the Supreme Court's order, Lakshya Sen’s legal counsel said (via press release):

"The Hon’ble Supreme Court has granted relief by staying the High Court order and further investigation. This brings much-needed clarity to the matter and we remain committed to pursuing our legal remedies."

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Background of Lakshya Sen’s age-fraud case

The case originates from a private complaint filed by Nagaraja M.G., which alleged that Lakshya and Chirag Sen’s ages had been falsified by two-and-a-half years to qualify for junior-level tournaments. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered in December 2022, following a directive from a metropolitan magistrate.

Documents obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, including an inquiry report by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, were presented as evidence in the case. The report allegedly indicated that Lakshya’s father, Dhirendra K. Sen, had been involved in fabricating records.

The Sen family, however, has consistently denied the allegations, stating that the case is baseless and motivated. They had previously cited a 2018 ruling by the Central Vigilance Commission, which accepted the birth records submitted by Dhirendra K. Sen and closed the matter.