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Lakshya Sen, one of India&rsquo;s brightest badminton stars, has found himself embroiled in a legal battle over allegations of age fraud. The controversy, which first surfaced in the early 2010s, centres around claims that Sen and his brother, Chirag Sen, falsified their birth records to compete in junior badminton tournaments. The accusations have since escalated into a full-fledged legal case, bringing scrutiny to the Indian sports ecosystem&rsquo;s age verification system.&nbsp;
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The issue gained momentum in December 2022 when an FIR was filed against Sen, his family, and his coach, alleging forgery and cheating. The Karnataka High Court initially allowed an investigation to proceed, citing valid documentary evidence presented by the complainant. However, the Supreme Court later intervened, granting an interim stay and putting the investigation on hold.&nbsp;
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This case raises broader questions about the prevalence of age fraud in Indian sports, the accountability of governing bodies, and the potential impact on athletes&rsquo; careers. While <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/lakshya-sen">Lakshya Sen</a> continues to perform on the international stage, the legal battle looms over his future. 
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/premier-league-heres-how-early-liverpool-can-win-record-equaling-20th-title-in-april-2025-8754792">Premier League: Here's how early Liverpool can win record-equalling 20th title</a>
The judge also refused to grant extra time for further hearings. "When prima facie materials are placed on record that constitute the offences, I do not find any reason to stall the investigation or quash the criminal proceedings,&rdquo; Justice M G Uma said.&nbsp;
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<h2 class="Paragraph SCXW211256960 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1134586438" paraeid="{5f6557b6-43fb-4245-b731-5d493409b47d}{103}">Below is the timeline and key events around the case:&nbsp;</h2>
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Early 2010s: Allegations of age forgery
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The controversy dates to the early 2010s, when Lakshya Sen and his brother, Chirag Sen, were competing in junior badminton tournaments. The accusations claim that they used falsified birth certificates to qualify for age-restricted competitions, thereby gaining an unfair advantage.&nbsp;
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December 2022: FIR lodged
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In December 2022, an FIR was registered at the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru against Lakshya Sen, his parents, his brother Chirag Sen, and his coach <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/vimal-kumar">Vimal Kumar</a>. The complaint was filed by MG Nagaraja, a badminton academy owner from Karnataka.&nbsp;
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Allegations in the complaint&nbsp;
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The Sen brothers allegedly manipulated their birth certificates to appear younger than their actual age.&nbsp;
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Their parents and coach were accused of aiding and abetting this forgery.&nbsp;
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The complaint cited cheating (Section 420 of the Indian&nbsp;Penal Code), forgery (Sections 468 and 471), and criminal conspiracy (Section 120B).&nbsp;
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Nagaraja&nbsp;claimed he obtained documents through the Right to Information (RTI) Act proving discrepancies in their birth records.&nbsp;
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December 2022: Defence responds&nbsp;
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Coach Vimal Kumar dismissed the allegations as &lsquo;baseless and frivolous&rsquo;, stating that age verification is the responsibility of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/badminton-association-of-india">Badminton Association of India</a> (BAI). He denied any wrongdoing by Lakshya Sen or anyone associated with him.&nbsp;
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2023: Legal battle begins&nbsp;
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Lakshya Sen and the other accused parties filed petitions in the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the FIR. Their legal team argued that the case was based on a personal vendetta and lacked substantial evidence.&nbsp;
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February 2025: Karnataka High Court allows investigation&nbsp;
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After months of deliberation, the Karnataka High Court dismissed the petitions filed by Sen and others, allowing the investigation to proceed. Justice MG Uma observed that the complainant had provided sufficient preliminary evidence to warrant an official investigation.&nbsp;
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Court&rsquo;s observations&nbsp;
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RTI documents presented by the complainant raised valid concerns about discrepancies in Lakshya Sen&rsquo;s birth records.&nbsp;
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The court ruled that the allegations merited a full-fledged investigation under the IPC.&nbsp;
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February 2025: Apex Court intervenes&nbsp;
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Following the Karnataka High Court&rsquo;s decision, the accused parties moved the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the investigation. The Supreme Court granted an interim stay, halting all investigative proceedings.&nbsp;
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Current status
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday (February 25) issued a special notice on Lakshya Sen's plea for quashing an investigation that alleged the Indian badminton star fabricated birth certificates to participate in underage tournaments.
On Tuesday, a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran of the Supreme Court issued a notice and stayed coercive steps against the petitioners. The Lakshya Sen age-fraud case will now be heard on April 16, 2025.
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Sports, Olympics: The issue gained momentum in December 2022 when an FIR was filed against Sen, his family, and his coach, alleging forgery and cheating.

Lakshya Sen, one of India’s brightest badminton stars, has found himself embroiled in a legal battle over allegations of age fraud. The controversy, which first surfaced in the early 2010s, centres around claims that Sen and his brother, Chirag Sen, falsified their birth records to compete in junior badminton tournaments. The accusations have since escalated into a full-fledged legal case, bringing scrutiny to the Indian sports ecosystem’s age verification system. The issue gained momentum in December 2022 when an FIR was filed against Sen, his family, and his coach, alleging forgery and cheating. The Karnataka High Court initially allowed an investigation to proceed, citing valid documentary evidence presented by the complainant. However, the Supreme Court later intervened, granting an interim stay and putting the investigation on hold. This case raises broader questions about the prevalence of age fraud in Indian sports, the accountability of governing bodies, and the potential impact on athletes’ careers. While Lakshya Sen continues to perform on the international stage, the legal battle looms over his future. Also Read: Premier League: Here's how early Liverpool can win record-equalling 20th title The judge also refused to grant extra time for further hearings. "When prima facie materials are placed on record that constitute the offences, I do not find any reason to stall the investigation or quash the criminal proceedings,” Justice M G Uma said. Below is the timeline and key events around the case: Early 2010s: Allegations of age forgery The controversy dates to the early 2010s, when Lakshya Sen and his brother, Chirag Sen, were competing in junior badminton tournaments. The accusations claim that they used falsified birth certificates to qualify for age-restricted competitions, thereby gaining an unfair advantage. December 2022: FIR lodged In December 2022, an FIR was registered at the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru against Lakshya Sen, his parents, his brother Chirag Sen, and his coach Vimal Kumar. The complaint was filed by MG Nagaraja, a badminton academy owner from Karnataka. Allegations in the complaint The Sen brothers allegedly manipulated their birth certificates to appear younger than their actual age. Their parents and coach were accused of aiding and abetting this forgery. The complaint cited cheating (Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code), forgery (Sections 468 and 471), and criminal conspiracy (Section 120B). Nagaraja claimed he obtained documents through the Right to Information (RTI) Act proving discrepancies in their birth records. December 2022: Defence responds Coach Vimal Kumar dismissed the allegations as ‘baseless and frivolous’, stating that age verification is the responsibility of the Badminton Association of India (BAI). He denied any wrongdoing by Lakshya Sen or anyone associated with him. 2023: Legal battle begins Lakshya Sen and the other accused parties filed petitions in the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the FIR. Their legal team argued that the case was based on a personal vendetta and lacked substantial evidence. February 2025: Karnataka High Court allows investigation After months of deliberation, the Karnataka High Court dismissed the petitions filed by Sen and others, allowing the investigation to proceed. Justice MG Uma observed that the complainant had provided sufficient preliminary evidence to warrant an official investigation. Court’s observations RTI documents presented by the complainant raised valid concerns about discrepancies in Lakshya Sen’s birth records. The court ruled that the allegations merited a full-fledged investigation under the IPC. February 2025: Apex Court intervenes Following the Karnataka High Court’s decision, the accused parties moved the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the investigation. The Supreme Court granted an interim stay, halting all investigative proceedings. Current status The Supreme Court on Tuesday (February 25) issued a special notice on Lakshya Sen's plea for quashing an investigation that alleged the Indian badminton star fabricated birth certificates to participate in underage tournaments. On Tuesday, a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran of the Supreme Court issued a notice and stayed coercive steps against the petitioners. The Lakshya Sen age-fraud case will now be heard on April 16, 2025.

Ace shuttler Lakshya Sen caught in age fraud case - Know details

India Open 2023 semi-final live streaming:&nbsp;The ongoing Indian Open 2023 will reach its semi-finals on Saturday, 21 January. After the Indian challenge ends after Lakshya Sen, and Sania Nehwal got knocked out in the Round of 16, all eyes are on other contenders now. More than 200 players from 22 countries are participating in India's premier event which has now been upgraded to the Super 750 category this year.&nbsp;The India Open 2023 came out with two massive results on Friday, 20 January when two Olympic champions were knocked out in the women's singles competition. Within 30 minutes into the game, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic champions crashed out of the competition.

The first one to go was World No. 3 Chen Yu Fei who pulled out of the quarter-finals fixture against Thailand's Supainda Katethong due to illness. Chen Yu Fei had earlier defeated India's Saina Nehwal in the earlier round, bringing an end to India's campaign in the tournament.

On the other hand, the Rio Olympic champion Carolina Marin was not able to beat world number 1 Akane Yamaguchi and bowed out of the quarter-finals after a three-set battle. Marin, in her previous two rounds, had defeated two former world champions Nozomi Okuhara and Ratchanok Intanon.

Earlier, defending champions of the India Open, Lakshya Sen and Satwaiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to bow out of the competition on Thursday. Lakshya lost to Rasmus Gemke in an incredible three-set battle, while Satwik/Chirag had to bow out due to the former's groin injury.

<h2>India Open 2023 semi-finals&nbsp;lined-up matches:</h2>

Women Singles:&nbsp;B.J. He (China) vs&nbsp;S.Y. An (South Korea)&nbsp;

Mixed Doubles:&nbsp;Y.Q. Huang and S.W. Zheng (China) vs&nbsp;A. Higashino and Y. Watanabe (Japan)&nbsp;

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<h2>When is the India Open 2023 semi-final tournament? Date</h2>

The India Open will start on Saturday, 21&nbsp;January. The India Open 2023 will end on 22 January.&nbsp;

<h2>Where is the India Open 2023 semi-final tournament? Venue</h2>

The India Open 2023 tournament will be held in New Delhi, India at the&nbsp;KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.&nbsp;

<h2>How and where to watch the India Open 2023 LIVE semi-final tournament? Live</h2>

Fans can watch the live telecast of the 2023 Indian Open on EuroSport India. Fans can also watch&nbsp;India's open 2023 live streaming on BWF's official YouTube channel.

<h2>What time will the India Open 2023 semi-final tournament begin?&nbsp;Time</h2>

All the matches in various categories- Men's singles, Women's singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles will begin on 21 January 2023 at 10:00 am IST.&nbsp;
</section>

India Open 2023 semi-final live streaming: The ongoing Indian Open 2023 will reach its semi-finals on Saturday, 21 January. After the Indian challenge ends after Lakshya Sen, and Sania Nehwal got knocked out in the Round of 16, all eyes are on other contenders now.

India Open 2023 semi-final live streaming: The ongoing Indian Open 2023 will reach its semi-finals on Saturday, 21 January. After the Indian challenge ends after Lakshya Sen, and Sania Nehwal got knocked out in the Round of 16, all eyes are on other contenders now. More than 200 players from 22 countries are participating in India's premier event which has now been upgraded to the Super 750 category this year. The India Open 2023 came out with two massive results on Friday, 20 January when two Olympic champions were knocked out in the women's singles competition. Within 30 minutes into the game, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic champions crashed out of the competition. The first one to go was World No. 3 Chen Yu Fei who pulled out of the quarter-finals fixture against Thailand's Supainda Katethong due to illness. Chen Yu Fei had earlier defeated India's Saina Nehwal in the earlier round, bringing an end to India's campaign in the tournament. On the other hand, the Rio Olympic champion Carolina Marin was not able to beat world number 1 Akane Yamaguchi and bowed out of the quarter-finals after a three-set battle. Marin, in her previous two rounds, had defeated two former world champions Nozomi Okuhara and Ratchanok Intanon. Earlier, defending champions of the India Open, Lakshya Sen and Satwaiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to bow out of the competition on Thursday. Lakshya lost to Rasmus Gemke in an incredible three-set battle, while Satwik/Chirag had to bow out due to the former's groin injury. India Open 2023 semi-finals lined-up matches: Women Singles: B.J. He (China) vs S.Y. An (South Korea) Mixed Doubles: Y.Q. Huang and S.W. Zheng (China) vs A. Higashino and Y. Watanabe (Japan) When is the India Open 2023 semi-final tournament? Date The India Open will start on Saturday, 21 January. The India Open 2023 will end on 22 January. Where is the India Open 2023 semi-final tournament? Venue The India Open 2023 tournament will be held in New Delhi, India at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall. How and where to watch the India Open 2023 LIVE semi-final tournament? Live Fans can watch the live telecast of the 2023 Indian Open on EuroSport India. Fans can also watch India's open 2023 live streaming on BWF's official YouTube channel. What time will the India Open 2023 semi-final tournament begin? Time All the matches in various categories- Men's singles, Women's singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles will begin on 21 January 2023 at 10:00 am IST.

India Open 2023 semi final live streaming: How to watch India Open badminton live streaming in your country

The Badminton Association of India, in continuation of its endeavour to reward top performers, has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh each for Sankar Muthusamy and the men`s doubles pair of Satwik Reddy and Chirag Shetty for their commendable performances at the BWF World Junior Championships and French Open 750 World Tour event. "This is a great moment of pride for all of us to see both our junior as well as senior shuttlers ensuring podium finishes defeating top-class players and becoming the flag bearers of pride and glory," said BAI president Himanta Biswa Sarma while announcing the prize money.

The doubles duo of Satwik and Chirag defeated Chinese Taipei`s Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han to clinch the French Open title and become the first Indian doubles pair to win a BWF Super 750 tournament. They had also defeated the World Number 1 pair of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the quarter-final. The Indian badminton team defeated their Chinese Taipei rivals 21-13, 21-19 in the final. Former Junior World number 1 Sankar Muthusamy made an impression with his gutsy play throughout the World Junior Championships before going down in the summit clash against Chinese Taipei`s Kuo kuan Lin.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/has-he-also-played-for-india-shahid-afridi-takes-a-dig-at-amit-mishra-over-his-tweet-on-babar-azam-529846">'Has he also played for India?': Shahid Afridi takes a dig at Amit Mishra over his tweet on Babar Azam</a>

The fourth-seeded Indian saved six match points in the second game but lost the final 21-14, 22-20 to become only the fourth Indian to win a silver medal in the competition. He became the ninth Indian shuttler to bag a medal at the premier junior championship."The boys in the past week have played some fearless badminton and we are really glad to see India finishing among the top countries at such global events. This will also be a huge inspiration for the younger generations," said BAI Secretary Sanjay Mishra, a BAI release said.

The doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwik have also had a dream year as they started 2022 with a gold medal at the India Open followed by the historic Thomas Cup and Commonwealth Games victory and winning a bronze medal at the World Championships.BAI had earlier given Rs one crore to the Thomas Cup winning squad and had announced a cash award of close to 1.5 crore for the 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists, as well as 2021 and 2022 World Championships medallists.

The Badminton Association of India, in continuation of its endeavour to reward top performers, has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh each for Sankar Muthusamy and the men`s doubles pair of Satwik Reddy and Chirag Shetty for their commendable performances at the BWF World Junior Championships and French Open 750 World Tour event.

The Badminton Association of India, in continuation of its endeavour to reward top performers, has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh each for Sankar Muthusamy and the men`s doubles pair of Satwik Reddy and Chirag Shetty for their commendable performances at the BWF World Junior Championships and French Open 750 World Tour event. "This is a great moment of pride for all of us to see both our junior as well as senior shuttlers ensuring podium finishes defeating top-class players and becoming the flag bearers of pride and glory," said BAI president Himanta Biswa Sarma while announcing the prize money. The doubles duo of Satwik and Chirag defeated Chinese Taipei`s Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han to clinch the French Open title and become the first Indian doubles pair to win a BWF Super 750 tournament. They had also defeated the World Number 1 pair of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the quarter-final. The Indian badminton team defeated their Chinese Taipei rivals 21-13, 21-19 in the final. Former Junior World number 1 Sankar Muthusamy made an impression with his gutsy play throughout the World Junior Championships before going down in the summit clash against Chinese Taipei`s Kuo kuan Lin. ALSO READ | 'Has he also played for India?': Shahid Afridi takes a dig at Amit Mishra over his tweet on Babar Azam The fourth-seeded Indian saved six match points in the second game but lost the final 21-14, 22-20 to become only the fourth Indian to win a silver medal in the competition. He became the ninth Indian shuttler to bag a medal at the premier junior championship."The boys in the past week have played some fearless badminton and we are really glad to see India finishing among the top countries at such global events. This will also be a huge inspiration for the younger generations," said BAI Secretary Sanjay Mishra, a BAI release said. The doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwik have also had a dream year as they started 2022 with a gold medal at the India Open followed by the historic Thomas Cup and Commonwealth Games victory and winning a bronze medal at the World Championships.BAI had earlier given Rs one crore to the Thomas Cup winning squad and had announced a cash award of close to 1.5 crore for the 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists, as well as 2021 and 2022 World Championships medallists.

BAI announces cash reward for teen star Sankar Muthusamy, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has urged its players and officials to "keep a positive frame of mind" and "stay home" to contribute in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a nationwide lockdown.

The coronavirus outbreak has claimed 16,000 lives worldwide, while infecting close to 4,00,000. India has reported nine deaths and nearly 500 positive cases so far.

"As the world combats COVID-19 and its unprecedented fallouts, confinement and quarantine are the only ways to pull a plug on the spread," BAI secretary Ajay Singhania said in a release.

"We, at Badminton Association of India, are deeply concerned with the wellbeing of all players, technical officials and the innumerable badminton fans out there. For your own safety and your loved ones, as well as the community at large, we urge you to stay at home.

The Badminton World Federation has suspended all tournaments till April 12 due to the pandemic, which has brought the whole world to a standstill with countries shutting down borders and going into lockdown mode.

In India, 32 states and union territories have been put in lockdown. Two states - Punjab and Maharashtra - and a UT - Puducherry - have declared curfews.

"While the entire country is on a lockdown mode and flight services, interstate trains and buses have been asked to shut down too and states are now enforcing curfew, as responsible citizens, we should follow it too," Singhania said.

"Keep a positive frame of mind. We are all in this together. Stay at home. Stay safe," he added

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has urged its players and officials to "keep a positive frame of mind" and "stay home" to contribute in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a nationwide lockdown.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has urged its players and officials to "keep a positive frame of mind" and "stay home" to contribute in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a nationwide lockdown. The coronavirus outbreak has claimed 16,000 lives worldwide, while infecting close to 4,00,000. India has reported nine deaths and nearly 500 positive cases so far. "As the world combats COVID-19 and its unprecedented fallouts, confinement and quarantine are the only ways to pull a plug on the spread," BAI secretary Ajay Singhania said in a release. "We, at Badminton Association of India, are deeply concerned with the wellbeing of all players, technical officials and the innumerable badminton fans out there. For your own safety and your loved ones, as well as the community at large, we urge you to stay at home. The Badminton World Federation has suspended all tournaments till April 12 due to the pandemic, which has brought the whole world to a standstill with countries shutting down borders and going into lockdown mode. In India, 32 states and union territories have been put in lockdown. Two states - Punjab and Maharashtra - and a UT - Puducherry - have declared curfews. "While the entire country is on a lockdown mode and flight services, interstate trains and buses have been asked to shut down too and states are now enforcing curfew, as responsible citizens, we should follow it too," Singhania said. "Keep a positive frame of mind. We are all in this together. Stay at home. Stay safe," he added

Stay home, keep positive frame of mind: BAI to players, officials

Seven Indian badminton players have pulled out of next week's All England Open championships over coronavirus fears, the Badminton Association of India said, as the outbreak continues to disrupt sports events across the world.

Also see: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/sporting-events-that-fell-victim-to-coronavirus-280070">Sporting events that fell victim to coronavirus!</a>

A number of international sporting events have been cancelled or postponed because of the outbreak.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/all-italian-sporting-events-included-six- nations-affected-due-to-coronavirus-284496">All Italian sporting events included Six Nations affected due to coronavirus</a>

HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma and Sourabh Verma are the men's singles players who have decided to withdraw while doubles specialists Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy have also opted out.

"They didn`t want to take a risk and some of them said their families and parents are worried about the current situation," BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania said.

"It`s completely up to the players to decide if they want to travel."

Several badminton events that were to serve as qualifiers for the Olympics have been cancelled or postponed. The March 11-15 tournament in Birmingham will award points towards securing Tokyo spots.

The top 16 singles players in the qualification race, limited to two athletes from any country, are guaranteed spots in the Tokyo Games, which begin on July 24.

Leading Indian women`s singles players PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal - both previous Olympic medallists - are making the trip to England, as are their male counterparts Kidambi Srikanth and B. Sai Praneeth.

Meanwhile, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has barred its athletes from attending any private or public functions.

Athletes are not being allowed to leave training camps taking place in different parts of India and have been barred from training with anyone from outside the camps, the AFI said in a statement.

Local media reported that the Indian archery team had pulled out of an Asia Cup World ranking tournament to be held from March 8-15 in Bangkok.

Seven Indian badminton players have pulled out of next week's All England Open championships over coronavirus fears, the Badminton Association of India said, as the outbreak continues to disrupt sports events across the world.

Seven Indian badminton players have pulled out of next week's All England Open championships over coronavirus fears, the Badminton Association of India said, as the outbreak continues to disrupt sports events across the world. Also see: Sporting events that fell victim to coronavirus! A number of international sporting events have been cancelled or postponed because of the outbreak. Also read: All Italian sporting events included Six Nations affected due to coronavirus HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma and Sourabh Verma are the men's singles players who have decided to withdraw while doubles specialists Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy have also opted out. "They didn`t want to take a risk and some of them said their families and parents are worried about the current situation," BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania said. "It`s completely up to the players to decide if they want to travel." Several badminton events that were to serve as qualifiers for the Olympics have been cancelled or postponed. The March 11-15 tournament in Birmingham will award points towards securing Tokyo spots. The top 16 singles players in the qualification race, limited to two athletes from any country, are guaranteed spots in the Tokyo Games, which begin on July 24. Leading Indian women`s singles players PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal - both previous Olympic medallists - are making the trip to England, as are their male counterparts Kidambi Srikanth and B. Sai Praneeth. Meanwhile, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has barred its athletes from attending any private or public functions. Athletes are not being allowed to leave training camps taking place in different parts of India and have been barred from training with anyone from outside the camps, the AFI said in a statement. Local media reported that the Indian archery team had pulled out of an Asia Cup World ranking tournament to be held from March 8-15 in Bangkok.

Indian players skip All England badminton over coronavirus fears

By Mallika Singh

India’s teen shuttler <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lakshya-sen-enters-quarterfinals-of-world-junior-championship-177748">Lakshya Sen </a>on Sunday night&nbsp;won his fourth title in three months by bagging the Scottish Open title after beating Brazil's Ygor Coelho in the men's singles clash.

The world no. 41 claimed victory by defeating Coelho 18-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a 56-minute final.

The 18-year-old has won the Scottish Challenge, Saarlorlux Open S100, the Dutch Open S100 and the Belgian International this year.

After losing in the second round of Irish Open, Sen started the Scottish Open with a straight-game win over Austria's Luka Wraber and then reached the quarterfinals by defeating compatriot&nbsp;Kiran George.

Sen then won another straight-game win over Brian Yang before winning the semi-finals against France’s Christo Popov.

“Rising fast in the world rankings, the unstoppable @lakshya_sen is making the right noise for India. #IndiaontheRise #badminton," BAI Media tweeted.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Lakshya's 4th Title Win in 3 months! 
 
• Scottish Challenge ✅ 
• Saarlorlux Open S100 ✅⁣ 
• Dutch Open S100 ✅⁣ 
• Belgian Challenge ✅ 
 
Rising fast in the world rankings, the unstoppable <a href="https://twitter.com/lakshya_sen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lakshya_sen</a> is making the right noise for 🇮🇳. 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaontheRise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaontheRise</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/badminton?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#badminton</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZOec8EGj9e">pic.twitter.com/ZOec8EGj9e</a>
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) <a href="https://twitter.com/BAI_Media/status/1198839242916429824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Sen expressed his happiness on winning the title and training against Coelho, calling it a "good match"&nbsp;in a tweet.&nbsp;

"Happy to win the Scottish Open title!! A hard-fought match against my friend @co3lho12. It was really nice training with you in Denmark and playing a good match against you today", he tweeted.&nbsp;

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Happy to win the scotish open title!! A hard fought match against my friend @co3lho12. It was really nice training with you in Denmark and playing a good match against you today. <a href="https://t.co/Gu57DMqW9e">pic.twitter.com/Gu57DMqW9e</a>
— Lakshya Sen (@lakshya_sen) <a href="https://twitter.com/lakshya_sen/status/1198788094415163394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Sen has now joined Anand Pawar, Arvind Bhatt and now coach Pullela Gopichand in the elite list of Indians who have won the Scottish Open title.

Sen is now set to play against France’s Thomas Rouxel in Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament 2019 in Lucknow.

By Mallika Singh India’s teen shuttler Lakshya Sen on Sunday night won his fourth title in three months by bagging the Scottish Open title after beating Brazil's Ygor Coelho in the men's singles clash.

By Mallika Singh India’s teen shuttler Lakshya Sen on Sunday night won his fourth title in three months by bagging the Scottish Open title after beating Brazil's Ygor Coelho in the men's singles clash. The world no. 41 claimed victory by defeating Coelho 18-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a 56-minute final. The 18-year-old has won the Scottish Challenge, Saarlorlux Open S100, the Dutch Open S100 and the Belgian International this year. After losing in the second round of Irish Open, Sen started the Scottish Open with a straight-game win over Austria's Luka Wraber and then reached the quarterfinals by defeating compatriot Kiran George. Sen then won another straight-game win over Brian Yang before winning the semi-finals against France’s Christo Popov. “Rising fast in the world rankings, the unstoppable @lakshya_sen is making the right noise for India. #IndiaontheRise #badminton," BAI Media tweeted. Lakshya's 4th Title Win in 3 months! • Scottish Challenge ✅ • Saarlorlux Open S100 ✅⁣ • Dutch Open S100 ✅⁣ • Belgian Challenge ✅ Rising fast in the world rankings, the unstoppable @lakshya_sen is making the right noise for 🇮🇳. 👏#IndiaontheRise#badminton pic.twitter.com/ZOec8EGj9e — BAI Media (@BAI_Media) November 25, 2019 × Sen expressed his happiness on winning the title and training against Coelho, calling it a "good match" in a tweet. "Happy to win the Scottish Open title!! A hard-fought match against my friend @co3lho12. It was really nice training with you in Denmark and playing a good match against you today", he tweeted. Happy to win the scotish open title!! A hard fought match against my friend @co3lho12. It was really nice training with you in Denmark and playing a good match against you today. pic.twitter.com/Gu57DMqW9e — Lakshya Sen (@lakshya_sen) November 25, 2019 × Sen has now joined Anand Pawar, Arvind Bhatt and now coach Pullela Gopichand in the elite list of Indians who have won the Scottish Open title. Sen is now set to play against France’s Thomas Rouxel in Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament 2019 in Lucknow.

India's teen shuttler Lakshya Sen wins Scottish Open

Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth Monday claimed that administrative goof-ups by the Badminton Association of India have robbed them of participation at the Asia Badminton Championship, an allegation that the BAI refuted.

India will be represented by Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma in men's singles at the $&nbsp;400,000 event in Wuhan, China, commencing on Tuesday after the BAI allegedly did not confirm the entries of Prannoy and Praneeth to the organisers.

"According to the process, Badminton Asia confederation sent the allocations informing who are the players who all have qualified from a country. All other countries like Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia have four entries even though Indonesia and Malaysian players are ranked way below me and Praneeth," Prannoy told PTI.

"So I enquired about the rules and came to know BAI didn't reply to the e-mails confirming our entries," added the 26-year-old, who had won a bronze at the last edition.

The BAI, however, said in a statement that Badminton Asia asked for only two entries in men's singles and it sent the names of Srikanth and Verma based on their world rankings.

"Based on the e-mail received from Badminton Asia, we were asked to send names of two players each for Men Singles, Women's Singles; three names each for Men's and Women's doubles and 4 players for mixed doubles.

And the draw that was published based on the World Ranking of players dated week of February 26, 2019, mentioned Kidambi Srikanth (World Ranking 6) and Sameer Verma (World Ranking 11) in the main draw as per the ranking eligibility list published by Badminton Asia and the same was followed to send the players for the Championships," the BAI said in a statement.

Prannoy, who had been battling a gastroesophageal reflux disease since last year, has missed out on a lot of time.

He was looking good in the last few weeks, having reached the quarterfinals at India Open, but now he won't have the chance to defend his semifinal ranking points.

"It happened in 2016 also. ABC was the last event for the Olympic race and me and Ajay Jayaram were also running for the Olympics. Then Kashyap and Srikanth got the entries, so that time also nobody told us. At that time also BAI didn't confirm.

"Last year we all played because the guy who send the entries, Abhijit, was doing everything correctly, now I don't know what is happening, who is missing. The system is entirely messed up," alleged the 26-year-old.

"Next year ABC will come in the Tokyo qualification and if they mess it up again then I won't be able to take it," added a frustrated Prannoy.

According to sources, the BAI did not send the entries of around 10 shuttlers, including top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, for the New Zealand Open (April 30 to May 5), which starts the Olympic qualification race.

"Almost 10 entries have been missed even though players had sent their names before the deadline and they are not even apologising for it," Prannoy claimed. 
Satwik had been nursing a shoulder injury and was missing in action this season.

They had planned to start the year with the New Zealand Open but now they have decided to utilise the time playing international challenger events in Brazil and Denmark.

"After we came to know that our entries were not sent we decided to play at Brazil and Denmark," Chirag said.

Prannoy also alleged that travelling for tournaments too have became difficult as the players mostly come to know about the ticket confirmation at the last moment.

"The guys who is handling our entries, travelling, transporting is messing it up for the last five months since Abhijit quit BAI.

"Ticketing is done at last moment. If we are travelling on Saturday, we are getting to know on that day itself and we are getting worse flights. Why can't they confirm our tickets five days before," asked Prannoy.

He also claimed that they were stranded in Hong Kong during the Asia Mixed team championship, apparently, due to another goof-up by the BAI.

"When we went to Hong Kong for ABC mixed team event, we were stranded at the airport for two hours. There was no transportation for us because BAI didn't send the request to the organisers," he said.

"The BAI official sent in the transportation request for Hong Kong event in the form of Wuhan event (individual event). Can you imagine that?," Prannoy said.&nbsp;

Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth Monday claimed that administrative goof-ups by the Badminton Association of India have robbed them of participation at the Asia Badminton Championship, an allegation that the BAI refuted.

Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth Monday claimed that administrative goof-ups by the Badminton Association of India have robbed them of participation at the Asia Badminton Championship, an allegation that the BAI refuted. India will be represented by Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma in men's singles at the $ 400,000 event in Wuhan, China, commencing on Tuesday after the BAI allegedly did not confirm the entries of Prannoy and Praneeth to the organisers. "According to the process, Badminton Asia confederation sent the allocations informing who are the players who all have qualified from a country. All other countries like Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia have four entries even though Indonesia and Malaysian players are ranked way below me and Praneeth," Prannoy told PTI. "So I enquired about the rules and came to know BAI didn't reply to the e-mails confirming our entries," added the 26-year-old, who had won a bronze at the last edition. The BAI, however, said in a statement that Badminton Asia asked for only two entries in men's singles and it sent the names of Srikanth and Verma based on their world rankings. "Based on the e-mail received from Badminton Asia, we were asked to send names of two players each for Men Singles, Women's Singles; three names each for Men's and Women's doubles and 4 players for mixed doubles. And the draw that was published based on the World Ranking of players dated week of February 26, 2019, mentioned Kidambi Srikanth (World Ranking 6) and Sameer Verma (World Ranking 11) in the main draw as per the ranking eligibility list published by Badminton Asia and the same was followed to send the players for the Championships," the BAI said in a statement. Prannoy, who had been battling a gastroesophageal reflux disease since last year, has missed out on a lot of time. He was looking good in the last few weeks, having reached the quarterfinals at India Open, but now he won't have the chance to defend his semifinal ranking points. "It happened in 2016 also. ABC was the last event for the Olympic race and me and Ajay Jayaram were also running for the Olympics. Then Kashyap and Srikanth got the entries, so that time also nobody told us. At that time also BAI didn't confirm. "Last year we all played because the guy who send the entries, Abhijit, was doing everything correctly, now I don't know what is happening, who is missing. The system is entirely messed up," alleged the 26-year-old. "Next year ABC will come in the Tokyo qualification and if they mess it up again then I won't be able to take it," added a frustrated Prannoy. According to sources, the BAI did not send the entries of around 10 shuttlers, including top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, for the New Zealand Open (April 30 to May 5), which starts the Olympic qualification race. "Almost 10 entries have been missed even though players had sent their names before the deadline and they are not even apologising for it," Prannoy claimed. Satwik had been nursing a shoulder injury and was missing in action this season. They had planned to start the year with the New Zealand Open but now they have decided to utilise the time playing international challenger events in Brazil and Denmark. "After we came to know that our entries were not sent we decided to play at Brazil and Denmark," Chirag said. Prannoy also alleged that travelling for tournaments too have became difficult as the players mostly come to know about the ticket confirmation at the last moment. "The guys who is handling our entries, travelling, transporting is messing it up for the last five months since Abhijit quit BAI. "Ticketing is done at last moment. If we are travelling on Saturday, we are getting to know on that day itself and we are getting worse flights. Why can't they confirm our tickets five days before," asked Prannoy. He also claimed that they were stranded in Hong Kong during the Asia Mixed team championship, apparently, due to another goof-up by the BAI. "When we went to Hong Kong for ABC mixed team event, we were stranded at the airport for two hours. There was no transportation for us because BAI didn't send the request to the organisers," he said. "The BAI official sent in the transportation request for Hong Kong event in the form of Wuhan event (individual event). Can you imagine that?," Prannoy said.

Top shuttlers Prannoy, Praneeth blame BAI's administrative mess for missing Asian Badminton Championship

Indian shuttler <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=PV+Sindhu">PV Sindhu</a>&nbsp;on Sunday hoped no one will ever question her ability to win big titles, relieved at breaking the finals jinx with a historic triumph at the World Tour Finals here.

After losing seven successive summit clashes, Olympic silver medallist Sindhu finally settled her finals blues with a 21-19 21-17 win over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to lift the prestigious season-ending trophy.

"I feel really happy. I have no words because it is my first win this year after coming and losing in the finals, so it was memorable. The year has ended on a beautiful note," said Sindhu, who won silvers at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships this year.

"Somewhere every time people have been asking me the same question. I hope the question won't again come to me, asking why all the time coming to the finals I lose. I think I can say now that I won a gold and I am really very proud."

Her mentor and chief India coach Pullela Gopichand also stressed the importance of Sindhu crossing the final hurdle.

"There has been a lot of talk of her losing the finals and I think that at least, not for anybody else but for Sindhu's mind, I think it is important she lost in the final with a comprehensive big win," he said."People have been waiting for it and it is great to have this win at the end of the year."

Talking about her title win, world number six Sindhu said: "The last to last year I lost in the semifinal and last year I finished runners-up. This time I am the winner, so it is a beautiful tournament for me as I won all matches in the league stages and also the semifinals and finals.

"I would definitely enjoy the moment as I am here. Next, we have the Indian league (Premier badminton League), so I will go directly for that and I hope to do well there so that would be all for the year."

Sindhu, who had lost in the finals in the last edition, said she sometimes lost focus during the title clash.

"It was a good match. Overall there was a lot of rallies. Sometimes I was remembering about the last final but I tried to focus again on the match," she said."Whenever I play against Okuhara or Yamaguchi I never think it would be easy. I know every time it would be tough. Today also the rallies were 30-40 strokes, but I gave my 100 per cent and I won. Okuhara also played very well."

Asked about her targets for next year, Sindhu said: "Next year it will be Olympic qualification year and we have to keep ourself fit and strategies which tournaments to play and we will have Malaysia and Indonesia coming up next year."

Badminton Association of India President Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated Sindhu.

"It is a great year-ending for Indian badminton. Sindhu winning the Tours Final and defeating the best players in the world in the process indicates journey of Indian badminton in the right direction," said Sarma.&nbsp;

"I congratulate the Sindhu on behalf of entire Badminton Association of India.

Indian shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday hoped no one will ever question her ability to win big titles, relieved at breaking the finals jinx with a historic triumph at the World Tour Finals here.

Indian shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday hoped no one will ever question her ability to win big titles, relieved at breaking the finals jinx with a historic triumph at the World Tour Finals here. After losing seven successive summit clashes, Olympic silver medallist Sindhu finally settled her finals blues with a 21-19 21-17 win over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to lift the prestigious season-ending trophy. "I feel really happy. I have no words because it is my first win this year after coming and losing in the finals, so it was memorable. The year has ended on a beautiful note," said Sindhu, who won silvers at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships this year. "Somewhere every time people have been asking me the same question. I hope the question won't again come to me, asking why all the time coming to the finals I lose. I think I can say now that I won a gold and I am really very proud." Her mentor and chief India coach Pullela Gopichand also stressed the importance of Sindhu crossing the final hurdle. "There has been a lot of talk of her losing the finals and I think that at least, not for anybody else but for Sindhu's mind, I think it is important she lost in the final with a comprehensive big win," he said."People have been waiting for it and it is great to have this win at the end of the year." Talking about her title win, world number six Sindhu said: "The last to last year I lost in the semifinal and last year I finished runners-up. This time I am the winner, so it is a beautiful tournament for me as I won all matches in the league stages and also the semifinals and finals. "I would definitely enjoy the moment as I am here. Next, we have the Indian league (Premier badminton League), so I will go directly for that and I hope to do well there so that would be all for the year." Sindhu, who had lost in the finals in the last edition, said she sometimes lost focus during the title clash. "It was a good match. Overall there was a lot of rallies. Sometimes I was remembering about the last final but I tried to focus again on the match," she said."Whenever I play against Okuhara or Yamaguchi I never think it would be easy. I know every time it would be tough. Today also the rallies were 30-40 strokes, but I gave my 100 per cent and I won. Okuhara also played very well." Asked about her targets for next year, Sindhu said: "Next year it will be Olympic qualification year and we have to keep ourself fit and strategies which tournaments to play and we will have Malaysia and Indonesia coming up next year." Badminton Association of India President Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated Sindhu. "It is a great year-ending for Indian badminton. Sindhu winning the Tours Final and defeating the best players in the world in the process indicates journey of Indian badminton in the right direction," said Sarma. "I congratulate the Sindhu on behalf of entire Badminton Association of India.

Hope no one will now question my ability to win big titles: Sindhu after maiden WTF title

As relations between India and Pakistan remain tense, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has decided to withdraw its participation from the upcoming Pakistan International Series scheduled to be held in Islamabad from October 18-21.

&nbsp;

BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta confirmed the news, stating that the decision was &quot;an act of solidarity&quot; with the Government of India, Indian news agency ANI reported.

&nbsp;

&quot;The announcement comes as an act of solidarity with the decisions of the Government of India in the wake of ongoing tensions between the two countries. On behalf of the council members of BAI and the entire badminton fraternity, we express strong concerns and support towards the sentiments of our fellow citizens of India,&quot; Akhilesh Gupta said.

&nbsp;

Indo-Pakistan relations have deteriorated after the attack by Pakistani militants on an army base in Uri on September 19 that claimed the lives of 18 soldiers. India retaliated by carrying out surgical strikes on five terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control. 38 terrorists were reportedly killed in the attack.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan has denied the surgical strikes, instead claiming that eight Indian soldiers have died and one captured during cross-border shelling across the LoC.

&nbsp;

Five member states, including India, recently pulled out of the regional SAARC summit that was scheduled to be held in Pakistan in November, blaming Pakistan for the disruption of peace in the neighbourhood.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI)

The Badminton Association of India has decided to withdraw its participation from the upcoming Pakistan International Series

As relations between India and Pakistan remain tense, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has decided to withdraw its participation from the upcoming Pakistan International Series scheduled to be held in Islamabad from October 18-21. BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta confirmed the news, stating that the decision was "an act of solidarity" with the Government of India, Indian news agency ANI reported. "The announcement comes as an act of solidarity with the decisions of the Government of India in the wake of ongoing tensions between the two countries. On behalf of the council members of BAI and the entire badminton fraternity, we express strong concerns and support towards the sentiments of our fellow citizens of India," Akhilesh Gupta said. Indo-Pakistan relations have deteriorated after the attack by Pakistani militants on an army base in Uri on September 19 that claimed the lives of 18 soldiers. India retaliated by carrying out surgical strikes on five terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control. 38 terrorists were reportedly killed in the attack. Pakistan has denied the surgical strikes, instead claiming that eight Indian soldiers have died and one captured during cross-border shelling across the LoC. Five member states, including India, recently pulled out of the regional SAARC summit that was scheduled to be held in Pakistan in November, blaming Pakistan for the disruption of peace in the neighbourhood. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Indian badminton players to skip series in Pakistan as tensions rise