Premium'Inform MS Dhoni via phone, e-mail that he has been sued for defamation,' says Delhi High Court, hearing on January 29
The defamation suit was filed against MS Dhoni by his former business partners, Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Das.
Last Updated: 08.25 PM, Jan 18, 2024
Today, on January 18, the Delhi High Court directed its registry to notify former Team India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni about a defamation suit filed against him by his former business partners, Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Das. The suit revolves around alleged false accusations made by MS Dhoni against Diwakar and Das.
Initially scheduled to appear for the first hearing before Justice Pratibha M. Singh, Dhoni or any of his representatives failed to attend the hearing. Consequently, a notice will be sent to the cricketer before the next hearing, now scheduled for January 29. The court also verbally instructed the plaintiffs to provide a copy of the complaint to the cricketer.
"Before going into the allegations in the plaint and the question whether such an injunction would even be maintainable or any injunction would be liable to be granted, it is deemed appropriate to direct intimation to defendant no. 1 (MS Dhoni) of filing of the present suit. Let the registry issue an email to defendant no. 1 at the email address. The intimation be also given at the law firm representing him," the judge said.
What is the whole issue about?
Dhoni and Diwakar entered into a partnership in 2017 to establish cricket academies globally under the names "MS Dhoni Sports Complex," "MS Dhoni Cricket Academy," or "MS Dhoni Sports Academy" for Aarka Sports Management. However, Dhoni, in 2024 had filed a criminal conspiracy case against Diwakar, alleging that he continued using these names even after the authorization was revoked.
On January 6, Dhoni's lawyers conducted a press conference, accusing Diwakar and Das of acts like forgery, cheating, using forged documents, and criminal conspiracy under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
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Dhoni's law firms, including Dayanand Sharma and associates, currently representing him in the criminal conspiracy case in Ranchi's District Court against Diwakar, will also be informed to represent him in the defamation suit on the scheduled hearing date.
It's important to note that Diwakar's lawyers are seeking to remove allegedly false accusations spread through various social platforms like Google, Meta, YouTube, and X, citing damage to his reputation.