Madras High Court orders trial in M.S. Dhoni’s ₹100-crore defamation suit

The Madras High Court on Monday (August 11, 2025) ordered the commencement of trial in a defamation suit filed by former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Chennai.

The suit, which has been pending for ten years, seeks ₹100 crore in damages and names Zee Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, retired Indian Police Service officer G. Sampath Kumar and News Nation Network as defendants. The petition alleges those parties dragged Dhoni’s name into the IPL betting scam. Justice C.V. Karthikeyan issued the direction to begin the trial.

Justice C.V. Karthikeyan appointed an advocate commissioner to record the evidence of Mr. Dhoni at premises in Chennai that are mutually convenient to all parties and their counsel. The order specifies that the advocate commissioner will manage the testimony process to accommodate the parties.

The judge gave the appointment on the basis that Mr. Dhoni’s personal appearance at the High Court for his examination-in-chief and cross-examination by the defendants might lead to chaos because he is a celebrity. The arrangement is intended to separate the evidence-recording from a formal court appearance.

Under the court’s instruction, the advocate commissioner will conduct Mr. Dhoni’s examination-in-chief and permit cross-examination by the defendants at the agreed location in Chennai. The recording of Dhoni’s evidence by the commissioner is the next procedural step directed by the High Court.