Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, May 21: A Fast Track Special Court in Haryana's Sonipat has sentenced national-level archery coach Kuldeep Vedwan to five years of rigorous imprisonment in a sexual harassment case involving a minor female athlete.

The court convicted Vedwan under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000. Additional Sessions Judge Narendra Singh pronounced the sentence on Wednesday, days after holding the accused guilty on May 15. Following the conviction, Vedwan was taken into custody, as per reports.
According to the prosecution, Vedwan, a resident of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, allegedly attempted to sexually harass the junior player during a youth archery championship trial held in Sonipat in April 2023.
As per reports the archer stated that she had travelled to Sonipat to participate in Youth Championship trials conducted at a Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre. She was training at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Katra Stadium, where the accused's foundation was involved in coaching operations.
The victim accused the coach of entering her hotel room around 4 am on April 7 and making inappropriate physical advances. In her complaint, the victim alleged that she resisted for nearly 15 to 20 minutes before managing to escape and seek refuge in another room occupied by female players.
As per reports the player further alleged that Kuldeep Vedwan later apologised and urged her not to disclose the incident, saying his career would be ruined. She also accused him of repeatedly pressuring her to stay in his room during subsequent hotel stays, allegedly promising to make her a "big player" if she cooperated. Special Public Prosecutor Vijender Singh Khatri said the court convicted the accused after examining evidence and hearing arguments from both sides.
The court awarded five years' rigorous imprisonment to Vedwan under Section 10 of the POCSO Act and also sentenced him to three years' rigorous imprisonment under Section 12 of the Act. The court stated that the sentences will run concurrently.
After the trials in April 2023, the victim was selected for the Asia Cup in Singapore. She later informed her family about the incident, following which a complaint was submitted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. An internal inquiry committee reportedly advised the family to file a police complaint in Sonipat, as per reports.
Reports further said the police subsequently registered a case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 354A and sections 10 and 12 of the Pocso Act. The investigation was conducted by a woman police officer, and the matter was later tried in the Fast Track Special Court.
Kuldeep Vedwan is a former national-level archer who later became a coach after leaving the Indian Army. Over the years, he established multiple archery academies in Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, and Jammu and Kashmir, and was associated with training para-archery athletes at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex.