Relief for Lakshya Sen, Top Court halts further probe in age fraud case

The Supreme Court of India has ordered a stay in the Karnataka High Court order that had permitted further investigation into an age fraud complaint filed against India's ace badminton player Lakshya Sen and his brother, Chirag. The order from the Apex Court Bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice K. Vinod Chandran also put a hold on any further investigation in the case against Lakshya on Tuesday, February 25.

The Karnataka High Court on February 19 had permitted a probe to continue into the allegations regarding the age records of the Sen brothers, their parents, and his coach Vimal Kumar. In response, the Indian ace, along with his family and coach, challenged the decision before the Supreme Court. Hearing the petition, the Apex Court Bench issued the order to put a hold on further investigation into the matter.

Senior Supreme Court Lawyer Aryama Sundaram argued on behalf of Lakshya and said that the Karnataka High Court order was given without hearing the case of the Indian shuttler.

 “The 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,” said Lakshya's legal counsel.

With the court order on Tuesday, all further investigation into the matter is put on hold until the matter is conclusively decided. Lakshya and his brother Chirag will turn their focus towards their upcoming tournaments and international commitments.