Dhoni’s ₹100-crore defamation suit: Madras High Court directs Registry to number retired IPS officer’s plea

The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed its Registry to number three applications filed by retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G. Sampath Kumar in a long-running ₹100-crore defamation suit involving cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi instructed the Registry to process the applications after examining their maintainability. The suit, originally filed by Dhoni in 2014, alleges defamation related to the 2013 IPL betting scandal. The parties involved include Zee Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, and News Nation Network Private Limited.

The applications seek to video record Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s evidence, with G. Sampath Kumar requesting strict procedural safeguards. Among the demands are the appointment of a judicial officer to oversee the process, video recording of all proceedings, and certification of unedited copies for both the applicant and the court-appointed officer. Additionally, Kumar insisted that the evidence be recorded within court premises or a government building rather than a private location.

Justice Thilakavadi noted that Dhoni would be given an opportunity to file a counter affidavit once the applications are numbered. The judge’s decision followed a 2025 order by Justice C.V. Karthikeyan, who had appointed advocate G. Jayasri as a court-appointed commissioner to record Dhoni’s evidence. A subsequent appeal by Kumar was dismissed by a Division Bench comprising Justices S.M. Subramaniam and Mohammed Shaffiq, which upheld the use of an advocate commissioner outside the Master’s Court for security and logistical reasons.

The defamation suit stems from allegations made in 2013 concerning the IPL betting scam, which implicated multiple parties. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a former captain of the Indian cricket team, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The legal proceedings continue to unfold, with the latest directives setting the stage for the next phase of evidence recording.

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