Defamation Plea Filed by Ex-Business Partners ‘Not Maintainable’: MS Dhoni to Delhi HC

Former Team India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday submitted before the Delhi High Court that the defamation plea filed against him by his two ex-business partners was not maintainable.

The high court declined to pass any interim order, at this stage, against Dhoni, as well as several media houses and social media platforms, to restrain them from posting or publishing any alleged false defamatory content against the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs, former business partners Mihir Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das, sought a permanent injunction and damages against Dhoni, various social media platforms, and media houses to prevent them from making, publishing, or circulating defamatory statements.

Dhoni’s counsel argued that the plaint against him was not maintainable, revealing that he had filed a case against the couple in a Ranchi court. The counsel also noted that they had not received the copy of the plaint and related documents, being informed only by the high court registry about the case.

In response, the court directed the plaintiffs’ counsel to provide a complete set of documents to Dhoni’s counsel within three days. The plaintiffs’ lawyer expressed a desire for fair reporting by the media, contending that the reporting against his clients had been unfair, labeling them as thugs and thieves.

Advocate Siddhant Kumar, representing one of the media houses, argued that the plea was not maintainable and referred to a previous judgment, stating that specific allegations must be set out against each defendant for a case to be made. He also raised concerns about the lack of territorial jurisdiction of the court to deal with the matter.

Justice Singh asked the plaintiffs’ counsel to outline allegations against the defendants and scheduled the matter for further hearing on April 3.

The high court had previously directed its registry to inform Dhoni about the defamation plea filed against him by his former business partners. The plaintiffs’ counsel had mentioned a press conference held on behalf of the cricketer, leveling allegations against them.

The plaintiffs sought a restraint against damaging their reputation regarding false allegations made by Dhoni, including purported illegal gains of Rs 15 crore and a breach of a 2017 contract. Recently, Dhoni filed a criminal case against Diwakar and Das, accusing them of duping him of around Rs 16 crore by not honoring a contract to establish cricket academies. The case has been filed in a lower court in Ranchi against the directors of Aarka Sports, a sports management company. Dhoni’s representatives filed a criminal case on his behalf, citing criminal breach of trust and cheating under Sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).