A court in Karnataka, India, has approved an investigation into allegations that Indian men’s singles badminton player Lakshya Sen falsified his age. The police have also registered a case and summoned his parents and coach for questioning.
The allegations date back to an accusation made two years ago, claiming that Lakshya Sen and his brother had altered their birth records, shifting their birth years from 1998 to 2001—effectively reducing their age by three years.
In India, modifying birth records is illegal. The complaint was filed in Bengaluru by an individual named Goviba, along with his family and former national coach Vimal Kumar. It alleges that the reigning Commonwealth Games champion and his brother Chirag Sen falsified their ages to compete in age-restricted tournaments since 2010.
The complaint, a copy of which is reportedly in PTI’s possession, also names their father, Dhirendra Sen—a coach with the Sports Authority of India—their mother, Nirmala, and their long-time coach Vimal Kumar.
They have been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating (Section 420), forgery (Section 468), using a forged document as genuine (Section 471), and acts committed with common intent (Section 34).
Lakshya Sen, currently 23 years old and ranked 10th in the world, reached the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics last year but lost to Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match. He also won the Asian Youth Championship in 2018.
If found guilty, he could face serious consequences, including a potential ban from the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
