Bengaluru: An FIR has been lodged here against India’s top male badminton player and world No. 6 Lakshya Sen, his family and former national coach Vimal Kumar.
Lakshya and the others have been charged with cheating and age-fraud.
M Goviappa Nagaraja, who filed the complaint, alleged that the 21-year-old reigning Commonwealth Games champion and his brother Chirag Sen fudged their ages to play in age-group tournaments since 2010.
According to PTI, the FIR also names Sen’s father Dhirendra, a coach with Sports Authority of India, mother Nirmala and Vimal, who has been coaching the duo for more than 10 years.
They have been charged with cheating (Section 420), forgery (468), using a forged document as genuine (471) and acts done by several persons of common intention (34) under IPC.
Lakshya and Chirag, who are from Uttarakhand, train under Vimal at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) in Bengaluru.
The complainant, who runs another academy in the southern metropolis, alleged that Vimal colluded with Lakshya’s parents to forge a birth certificate in 2010.
Lakshya’s age, as per Nagaraja, is 24, while the date of birth registered with Badminton Association of India (August 16, 2001) makes him three years younger. Chirag, on the other hand, is alleged to be 26, while his BAI ID makes him 24 (July 22, 1998).
If the charges are proven, Lakshya – who was honoured with the Arjuna Award at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday — will have to forego his records and laurels.
The complainant further alleged that the Sen family and coach Vimal spoiled many upcoming talents in the region and demanded legal action against the five.
Vimal categorically denied the charges.
“It is very annoying. It is cheap stuff. Lakshya has done well and has started training again after a break. It is mentally very disturbing for him,” Vimal told PTI.
All England Championship runner-up and World Championship bronze-medallist Lakshya received the Arjuna Award earlier this week.
