In a significant legal development, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has terminated criminal proceedings against international shooter Vartika Singh. She was embroiled in a cheating case that stemmed from her own allegation that she was asked for a bribe of Rs 25 lakh in exchange for a position in the National Commission for Women (NCW).
The Core of the Allegations and the Court's Scrutiny
The court delivered its verdict on December 19, 2025, while reviewing a petition to dismiss the case originally filed at the Musafirkhana police station in Amethi in 2020. The sequence of events, as detailed in the court order, began in April 2020 when a man named Rajneesh Singh contacted Vartika Singh via social media.
Rajneesh presented himself as an active BJP leader with proximity to a cabinet minister. According to the High Court's account, he offered Vartika a nomination as a member of the NCW. To bolster his claim, Rajneesh allegedly sent her a letter via WhatsApp, which appeared to recommend her appointment and was purportedly signed by a then cabinet minister and addressed to the Prime Minister.
The situation escalated in June 2020 when Rajneesh informed Vartika about a second letter from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), sharing a screenshot. However, the plot turned in November 2020. The court noted that Rajneesh, during a WhatsApp call, explicitly stated that the appointment would only proceed upon payment of Rs 25,00,000. He reportedly sent a third, unsigned Government of India letter regarding her appointment to confirm this demand. When Vartika refused to pay the bribe, she was told the letter could not be signed.
From Complainant to Accused: The Twisted Legal Path
Vartika Singh took the matter to then Union Minister Smriti Irani, providing photocopies of the three letters at her residence. Despite this, no affirmative action followed her complaint. Instead, the tables turned dramatically. Four FIRs were subsequently registered against Vartika Singh – two in Delhi and two in Amethi.
The complaints, filed by Rajneesh Singh and others including Chhote Lal Kushwaha, accused Vartika of forging documents and fabricating allegations to tarnish Rajneesh's reputation. A chargesheet was filed by the investigating officer based on these accusations.
Vartika's counsel argued in court that the FIR was built on concocted facts and that she was being victimized and defamed. They emphasized that there was no substantive evidence against her and that the chargesheet was submitted mechanically. The defense pleaded that the proceedings were malicious and deserved to be quashed.
Court's Rationale for Quashing the Proceedings
The High Court, in its detailed order, found critical flaws in the prosecution's case. The bench observed that the investigating officer had failed to send the disputed letters to a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to determine their authenticity or who prepared them.
The court stated clearly that there was no evidence to prove Vartika Singh created the forged letters. Relying on a Supreme Court precedent (Sheila Sebastian case), the order highlighted that if there is no proof the accused prepared the documents, no offence of forgery is established. Furthermore, the court found no evidence of cheating against Vartika in the available material.
Consequently, the bench allowed Vartika Singh's application. The entire proceedings of the criminal case, including the chargesheet, were set aside in relation to her. This ruling brings a legal end to a case that saw a whistleblower facing charges instead of receiving justice for her complaint.
