The Madras High Court, on Monday (August 11, 2025), ordered the graduation of trial in a 10-year-old defamation swimsuit filed by former Indian cricket workforce captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni looking for ₹100 crore in damages from Zee Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G. Sampath Kumar, and News Nation Network for having dragged his title in to the IPL betting rip-off.
Justice C.V. Karthikeyan additionally appointed an advocate commissioner to file the proof of Mr. Dhoni on mutually handy premises, to all the events concerned and their counsel, in Chennai. The advocate commissioner was appointed as Mr. Dhoni’s private look at the High Court, for the examination in chief as nicely as cross-examination by the defendants, may result in chaos because of him being a superstar.
The orders have been handed after senior counsel P.R. Raman submitted an affidavit sworn by Mr. Dhoni expressing his intent to proceed with the trial in the defamation swimsuit pending since 2014. The cricketer stated that he could be obtainable for examination as nicely as cross-examination between October 20, 2025, and December 10, 2025, and that the venue and particular dates could possibly be mounted on the foundation of mutual comfort.
“The above request is made with the intent to avoid any undue delay (in disposal of the suit pending in the High Court for over a decade) and to support the fair, just, and speedy adjudication of the suit. I state that I shall extend my full co-operation with the Advocate Commissioner and comply with all directions issued by this honourable court regarding the trial and the recording of evidence,” the affidavit learn.
When Mr. Raman, assisted by advocate Sandesh Saravanan, requested the court docket to think about appointing a retired district choose as an advocate commissioner for recording proof, Justice Karthikeyan stated that he would decide a title from a checklist maintained by the High Court. He additionally acknowledged that the defamation swimsuit could be listed for listening to earlier than the court docket after the completion of recording of proof in full.
The trial in the swimsuit had obtained delayed for over 10 years due to a number of purposes taken out by the events looking for one reduction or one other. In December 2023, a Division Bench of Justices S.S. Sundar (since retired) and Sunder Mohan had convicted the retired IPS officer of felony contempt of court docket and sentenced him to fifteen days of easy imprisonment. However, the Supreme Court stayed the punishment in 2024.
Mr. Dhoni had filed the contempt plea in opposition to the retired IPS officer for having made contumacious remarks in opposition to the Supreme Court as nicely as the High Court whereas defending the defamation swimsuit. In July 2022, the then Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram had granted permission to the cricketer to proceed with the contempt plea, after being happy that the remarks made by Mr. Kumar, in his written assertion to the swimsuit, amounted to scandalising court docket proceedings.
