Jahanvi Agarwal
The Delhi High Court on 18th January 2024 announced that it would be prudent to inform cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni about the defamation lawsuit filed against him, before proceeding with the case.
Justice Prathiba M Singh directed the Court’s registry and the plaintiff, Mihir Diwakar, to notify the former Indian men’s cricket team captain about the case and scheduled the hearing for January 29. Justice Singh, before whom the plaint came up for hearing, was informed that Dhoni has not been served with the plea by the plaintiffs.
Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das approached the High Court seeking to restrain Dhoni and his associates from making defamatory allegations related to an alleged breach of a 2017 contract. The contract, between Dhoni and Aarka Sports Management (owned by the plaintiffs), aimed to establish cricket academies in India and globally.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Diwakar’s lawyer asserted that Dhoni’s counsel had conducted a press conference outside the Ranchi court, making defamatory allegations against Diwakar and his wife. However, the Court decided that before delving into the allegations’ merits and the suit’s maintainability, it’s appropriate to inform Dhoni about the defamation suit.
Justice Singh ordered to inform Dhoni via email, phone, and through the law firm representing him in the Ranchi court. In the interim, ANI (what is ANI?), represented by advocate Siddhant Kumar, argued that the suit against the media outlet is not maintainable, as ANI simply reported on the criminal proceedings against Diwakar.
The case has been adjourned until January 29. According to the suit, Dhoni and his associates made defamatory allegations that Diwakar and Das duped Dhoni of nearly ₹15 crores. The suit alleges that these allegations tarnished the plaintiffs’ image. The plaintiffs seek a restraining order against Dhoni and others from making further defamatory claims, as well as directions to remove allegedly defamatory articles/posts from various platforms.
Dhoni had previously filed a criminal case in Ranchi against Diwakar and Das, alleging violations of the 2017 contract for running cricket academies globally. The criminal complaint includes charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy under the IPC.
Case Name: Mihir Diwakar & Anr v. Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Ors.
Bench: Justice Prathiba M Singh