Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against international shooter Vartika Singh in a case related to alleged forged documents linked to a Union Cabinet minister.
A bench headed by Justice Rajeev Singh, in its order dated December 19, observed that there was no material on record to establish any offence of cheating against Vartika Singh. The court noted that the documents allegedly forwarded by her were also shared with officials and dignitaries for inquiry, but no investigation was conducted to determine who had actually prepared the forged documents.
The court further took note of the fact that the investigating officer had earlier filed a closure report after finding no evidence of any offence against Singh. In view of these circumstances, the High Court held that the continuation of criminal proceedings against her amounted to an abuse of the process of law and deserved to be set aside.
The case dates back to April 2020, when Rajneesh Singh, who claimed proximity to the then Union minister Smriti Irani’s office, allegedly approached Vartika Singh with an offer of nomination to the National Commission for Women. According to her legal counsel, Rajneesh Singh sent unsigned appointment-related documents to the shooter via WhatsApp and later demanded ₹25 lakh in exchange for facilitating the nomination.
When Vartika Singh refused to pay the amount, a criminal case was registered against her at Musafirkhana police station in Amethi district under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Although a chargesheet was later filed and trial proceedings were initiated by a magistrate, Singh challenged the action before the High Court.
Her counsel argued that she was falsely implicated after declining to meet the monetary demand and had herself submitted the disputed documents to the police. They contended that the investigation failed to identify the real source of the forged documents and proceeded against her without any supporting evidence.
Accepting these arguments, the High Court ruled in her favour, bringing an end to the criminal case pending against the international shooter.
