Dhoni's 100-cr defamation suit trial to commence
Dhoni to record statement
Dhoni's name was linked to the IPL betting scam
The Madras High Court ordered on Monday, August 11 to commence on the trial for the 100-crore defamation suit which was filed by the former Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dhoni wants 100 crore in damages for dragging his name in the Indian Premier League betting scam by the likes of Zee Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G Sampath Kumar, and News Nation Network.
MS Dhoni informed the Madras Court that he will be available for examination as well as cross-examination between Oct 20-Dec 10 this year, as per a report stated in The Hindu.
The report further adds that Justice CV Karthikeyan has appointed an advocate commissioner to record Dhoni's evidence from a 'mutually convenient' premises in Chennai. This is because the court wanted to avoid any sort of chaos outside court if Dhoni was to make an appearance.
PR Raman, who is the senior counsel for Dhoni, submitted a sworn affidavit wherein the 2011 World Cup winning captain has proven his intent to continue with the trial.
While the suit was filed in 2014, the trial has been pending in court since 11 years as multiple applications were taken out by defending parties seeking relief from the Court.
Back in 2014, Dhoni had submitted a suit wherein he stated that the defendants had run a scandalous agenda against him since February 2014. In his suit, Dhoni mentioned the names of Zee Media Corporation Limited, known as Zee News, and Sudhir Chaudary, Editor and Business Head of Zee News Channel along with IPS officer G Sampath, who posted wrong reports about the Chennai Super Kings star.
News National Channel had launched a similar agenda against Dhoni which later went on to state that the Jharkhand-born was summoned by the Tamil Nadu police, which was false, the affidavit stated.
