The Madras High Court has taken a significant step forward in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s long-pending defamation suit by formally ordering the commencement of trial proceedings. The former India cricket captain in the year 2014 filed a ₹100 crore lawsuit against several media entities and individuals for allegedly linking him to the IPL spot- and betting scandal of 2013.
Justice C.V. Karthikeyan has appointed an advocate commissioner to record the testimony of former captain at a mutually agreed-upon venue to prevent courtroom disruptions stemming from Dhoni’s celebrity status,The court has scheduled this examination to take place between October 20 and December 10.
The legal team for Dhoni led by Senior Counsel P.R. Raman, has affirmed full cooperation and urged a fair and swift resolution of the matter, emphasizing that the case has been stalled for over a decade.
The High Court in 2021 had framed several critical questions to guide the trial—ranging from the validity of the media reports and their possible malicious intent to the extent of mental anguish caused to Dhoni and the interplay with freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, the suit’s scope had also expanded to include a contempt plea against IPS officer G. Sampath Kumar, one of the defendants, for allegedly making remarks that undermined judicial integrity. In 2023, a division bench found him guilty of contempt and sentenced him to 15 days in simple imprisonment—a sentence later suspended to allow for appeal.
The move to proceed with trial marks a pivotal moment after years of procedural delays. The stage is now set for Dhoni’s recorded deposition in the coming months.
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