LI Network
Published on: 30 January, 2024 at 13:00 IST
Former Indian cricket team captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, informed the Delhi High Court on Monday that a defamation plea filed against him by his two former business partners is not maintainable.
The high Court declined to issue any interim order, at this stage, against Dhoni, along with various media outlets and social media platforms, restraining them from publishing allegedly false defamatory content against the plaintiffs that could harm their reputation.
Plaintiffs and ex-business partners, Mihir Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das, sought a permanent injunction and damages against Dhoni, multiple social media platforms, and media houses, aiming to prevent them from making or circulating defamatory statements against them.
Dhoni’s legal representative appeared before the court asserting that the claim against him was not sustainable as he had already filed a case against the couple in a Ranchi court.
The counsel highlighted that they hadn’t received the copy of the complaint or related documents and were only informed about the case by the high court registry.
In response, the Court directed the plaintiffs’ counsel to provide a complete set of documents to Dhoni’s legal team within three days.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer emphasized the need for fair reporting by the media, arguing that the coverage against his clients was biased, labeling them as criminals.
Advocate Siddhant Kumar, representing one of the media houses, also contended that the plea lacked merit and cited previous judgments, asserting that specific allegations against each defendant, including media houses, were necessary to establish a case.
Additionally, territorial jurisdiction issues were raised by Kumar, prompting Justice Singh to instruct the plaintiffs’ counsel to outline allegations against the defendants properly. The matter was scheduled for further hearing on April 3.
Earlier, the high court had directed its registry to inform Dhoni about the defamation plea filed against him by his former business partners.
The plaintiffs alleged that Dhoni, through a press conference, made false accusations against them, including claims of illegal gains and contract breaches amounting to Rs 15 crore.
Recently, Dhoni initiated a criminal case against Diwakar and Das, alleging they defrauded him of approximately Rs 16 crore by failing to honor a contract for establishing cricket academies, according to his lawyer.
The case has been filed in a lower court in Ranchi against the directors of Aarka Sports, a sports management company. Dhoni’s representatives filed the case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.