Former Team India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni addressed the Delhi High Court on Monday, stating that a defamation plea filed against him by his two ex-business partners was not maintainable. The high court declined to issue any interim orders against Dhoni or various media houses and social media platforms at this stage, restraining them from publishing allegedly false defamatory content about the plaintiffs, which could harm their reputation.
The plaintiffs, former business partners Mihir Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das, sought a permanent injunction and damages against Dhoni, numerous social media platforms, and media houses to prevent them from making or circulating defamatory statements against them.
Dhoni’s legal representative appeared before the court and argued that the complaint against him was not sustainable, highlighting that he had filed a case against the couple in a Ranchi court. The counsel further mentioned that they had not yet received a copy of the complaint and related documents but were only informed by the high court registry about the case.
In response, the court directed the plaintiffs’ counsel to provide a complete set of documents to Dhoni’s counsel within three days.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer emphasized the need for fair reporting by the media, expressing concerns that his clients had been unfairly labeled as criminals. Additionally, Advocate Siddhant Kumar, representing one of the media houses, contended that the plea was not maintainable, citing a previous judgment that specific allegations must be outlined against each defendant for a case to be valid. He also raised concerns about the court’s territorial jurisdiction in the matter.
Justice Singh instructed the plaintiffs’ counsel to delineate the allegations against the defendants and scheduled further hearings for April 3.
Previously, the high court had instructed its registry to inform Dhoni about the defamation plea filed against him by his former business partners.
The plaintiffs alleged that a press conference was conducted on behalf of Dhoni, leveling accusations against them. They sought to restrain the defendants from tarnishing their reputation regarding alleged illegal gains and breach of contract.
Recently, Dhoni initiated a criminal case against Diwakar and Das, claiming they defrauded him of around Rs 16 crore by failing to honor a contract to establish cricket academies. The case was filed in a lower court in Ranchi against the directors of Aarka Sports, a sports management company.
Dhoni’s representatives stated that they filed a criminal case on Dhoni’s behalf in Ranchi against the directors of Aarka Sports under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.
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