The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has stopped criminal proceedings against international shooter Vartika Singh. She was accused of preparing forged documents allegedly linked to a Union Cabinet Minister. Justice Rajeev Singh said in the December 19 order, "There is no evidence of cheating against the applicant, Vartika Singh, in the entire material available before the court." The court noted the documents were also sent to officials and dignitaries, but no investigation was done to find who made the forged documents. The police filed a closure report, saying no offence was made out against Ms. Singh. The case started in April 2020 when Rajneesh Singh, claiming to be close to then Union Minister Smriti Irani, approached Vartika Singh promising to help her get a post in the National Commission for Women. Vartika’s lawyers said Rajneesh Singh sent her unsigned documents on WhatsApp suggesting her appointment and then demanded ₹25 lakh. She refused to pay. After this, a case was registered against her in 2020 at the Musafirkhana police station in Amethi district. Police later filed a chargesheet, and a magistrate issued process against her. Her lawyers, Mahendra Bahadur Singh and Rohit Kumar Tripathi, argued Vartika Singh was falsely accused after refusing to pay the bribe. They said no inquiry was made to identify who prepared the forged documents, even though she handed them over to police. With the closure report and court order, the criminal case against Vartika Singh has ended.