Kuldeep Vedwan, Sheetal Devi and India’s national para archery coach, who was arrested in 2023 over allegations of sexually harassing a minor athlete, has been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment by a Fast Track Special Court in Sonipat. He had earlier secured bail before the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
The court convicted Vedwan under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000. After being found guilty on May 15, the sentence was formally delivered on Wednesday, following which he was taken back into custody.
As part of the ruling, the court handed him a five-year prison sentence under Section 10 of the POCSO Act, along with an additional three-year sentence under Section 12. Both punishments will run simultaneously.
The matter originated from an incident during the youth championship trials held at the Sports Authority of India centre in Sonipat in April 2023. The minor athlete alleged that Vedwan entered her hotel room around 4 am on April 7 and behaved inappropriately towards her.
According to the complaint, the athlete resisted his advances for nearly 15 to 20 minutes before managing to leave the room and seek refuge with other female players.
She also accused the coach of repeatedly asking her to stay in his room during later tournaments, allegedly assuring her that he would help her become a top-level player if she complied.
After informing her family about the incidents, a complaint was first submitted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. An internal inquiry reportedly advised the family to approach the police in Sonipat, where an FIR was eventually registered in August 2023 under IPC Section 354A along with Sections 10 and 12 of the POCSO Act.
Vedwan was arrested later that year and spent time in custody before receiving bail shortly ahead of the Paris Paralympics in 2024. During the period of his suspension, his wife Abhilasha Chaudhary took over as India’s para archery coach.
Vedwan was named India’s para archery coach for the 2018 Asian Para Games and continued in the role during the 2020 Summer Paralympics, where Harvinder Singh secured India’s first-ever Paralympic medal in archery. Following those successes, Vedwan had also submitted his candidature for the prestigious Dronacharya Award before the allegations against him emerged.
Vedwan was also widely recognised for coaching Sheetal Devi, the armless para archer who rose to global prominence under his guidance. He played a key role in designing her unconventional shooting method, which involved using her feet, shoulder and chin to release arrows. Under his mentorship, Sheetal won gold medals at the 2023 Asian Para Games and later became world champion in 2025, making history as the first female armless archer to achieve the feat.
Kuldeep Vedwan had also identified quadruple amputee Payal Nag through a social media post before bringing her to train at his academy based at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex in Katra.
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