A general view of Allahabad High Court. Image for the purpose of representation only.
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The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against international shooter Vartika Singh in a case alleging the preparation of forged documents at the behest of a Union Cabinet Minister.
A Bench headed by Justice Rajeev Singh, in an order dated December 19, observed, “There is no evidence of cheating against the applicant, Vartika Singh, in the entire material available before the court.” The court noted that the documents forwarded to her had also been provided to officials and other dignitaries for enquiry, but no investigation was carried out to ascertain who had prepared the alleged forged documents.
In the same matter, the investigating officer had filed a closure report after finding that no offence was made out against Ms. Singh, the court recorded.
Consequently, the court held that the criminal proceedings pending against her were liable to be set aside.
The case pertains to an incident in April 2020, when Rajneesh Singh, claiming proximity to the then Union Minister Smriti Irani, allegedly approached Ms. Singh and promised to facilitate her appointment as a member of the National Commission for Women.
According to her counsel, Rajneesh Singh shared unsigned documents with the international shooter through WhatsApp, suggesting her appointment, and later demanded ₹25 lakh from her.
When she refused to pay the amount, a case was registered against her in 2020 under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code at the Musafirkhana police station in Amethi district, her lawyers submitted.
Following the investigation, the police filed a chargesheet, and a judicial magistrate had issued process against her.
Challenging the proceedings, her counsel Mahendra Bahadur Singh and Rohit Kumar Tripathi argued that she had been falsely implicated after refusing to pay the demanded sum. They contended that although Ms. Singh had handed over the documents to the police, no inquiry was conducted to identify the person responsible for preparing the allegedly forged documents.
Published – December 25, 2025 09:27 pm IST
