The Delhi High Court has listed a defamation suit filed against former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni by two of his former business partners for hearing on January 29th.
The suit was filed by Mihir Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das, co-owners of sports management company Aarka Sports had signed a deal with Dhoni in 2017 to establish cricket academies across India and abroad. As per reports, the couple has moved to court seeking a permanent injunction and damages against Dhoni and several media outlets to restrain them from making or publishing any defamatory content about them.
According to the petitioners, Dhoni and people acting on his behalf have allegedly been making false statements accusing them of duping the cricketer to the tune of Rs 15 crore. This pertains to an alleged breach of contract between Aarka Sports and Dhoni over not setting up cricket academies within the agreed timeline.
However, Diwakar contends that even before the court’s findings in the contractual matter, Dhoni’s lawyer Dayanand Shamra addressed a press meeting making defamatory allegations against them. Dhoni has also filed a separate criminal complaint over the claimed violation of the 2017 deal by his former partners.
The Delhi High Court has now directed its registry to inform Dhoni and his legal representatives about the fresh defamation case and scheduled the next hearing later this month.
The legal feud between the World Cup-winning captain and his erstwhile business associates that began over a commercial dispute has now taken an ugly turn. Dhoni needs to respond on whether his public statements regarding the issue constitute defamation as alleged by Diwakar and Das.
