The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against international shooter Vartika Singh in a forgery case. The case was related to allegations that forged letters were prepared in her name at the request of a Union Cabinet minister. The court found no evidence of cheating or wrongdoing by Singh and ruled that the case against her could not continue.
The order was passed by a bench headed by Justice Rajeev Singh on December 19. The court said that the material placed before it did not show any proof that Vartika Singh had committed an offence. As a result, all criminal proceedings against her were set aside.
While delivering the order, the High Court clearly stated that there was no evidence of cheating against Vartika Singh. The bench observed that none of the documents or materials presented during the investigation showed that she was involved in preparing or using forged documents.
The court noted that some documents were forwarded to Vartika Singh and were later shared with officials and other dignitaries for enquiry. However, the authorities did not conduct any investigation to find out who actually prepared the fake documents. The court said this was a serious lapse in the investigation.
It also took note of the fact that the investigating officer had earlier filed a closure report in the same matter. This report stated that no offence was made out against Vartika Singh. Despite this, criminal proceedings were allowed to continue, which the court found unjustified.
Justice Rajeev Singh said that continuing the case against Vartika Singh without evidence would be an abuse of the legal process. The court concluded that the criminal proceedings were liable to be quashed and granted relief to the international shooter.
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The case dates back to April 2020. According to the allegations, a man named Rajneesh Singh approached Vartika Singh and claimed that he was close to the secretary of the then Union Cabinet minister Smriti Irani. He allegedly promised to help her get nominated as a member of the National Commission for Women in New Delhi.
As per Vartika Singh’s lawyers, Rajneesh Singh sent her unsigned documents through WhatsApp. These documents showed her supposed appointment to the commission. Later, he allegedly demanded ₹25 lakh from her in exchange for the appointment.
The lawyers said that when Vartika Singh refused to pay the money, a criminal case was lodged against her in 2020. The case was registered at Musafirkhana police station in Amethi district under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
After the investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against her. A judicial magistrate then issued a process for her trial. This led Vartika Singh to approach the Allahabad High Court to challenge the proceedings.
Her counsel, Mahendra Bahadur Singh and Rohit Kumar Tripathi, argued that she was falsely implicated in the case. They told the court that she had refused to pay the demanded amount and was later targeted through a criminal case.
The lawyers further stated that Vartika Singh had fully cooperated with the investigation. She had handed over all the documents she received to the police. Despite this, no effort was made to identify the person who had prepared the forged documents.
They argued that instead of investigating the real offender, the police wrongly filed a chargesheet against Vartika Singh without any proof. They said this caused unnecessary harassment to a sportsperson who had represented the country at the international level.
The High Court agreed with these arguments. It observed that there was no material to show that Vartika Singh had cheated anyone or played any role in preparing fake documents. The court also noted that the authorities failed to investigate the origin of the forged letters.
By quashing the proceedings, the court brought relief to Vartika Singh, who had been facing the case for several years. The decision was welcomed by her legal team, which said the order restored faith in the justice system.
The ruling also highlighted the importance of fair and proper investigation by police authorities. The court made it clear that criminal law should not be used to harass individuals without solid evidence.
With this order, the Allahabad High Court has closed the forgery case against Vartika Singh, allowing her to move forward without the burden of criminal charges hanging over her.
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