Former Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is facing legal challenges as his ex-business partners, Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Das, have filed a defamation suit against him. The suit aims to prevent Dhoni from making false allegations against the duo and tarnishing their reputations.
Justice Pratibha Singh will preside over the proceedings as the Delhi High Court hears the case on Thursday, January 18, marking the first hearing. Advocates Rishi Awasthi and Smarhar Singh will represent the plaintiffs in this legal battle.
The origins of the dispute trace back to a 2017 contract between Diwakar, his wife, and Dhoni. They agreed to establish cricket academies worldwide. Allegedly, Dhoni failed to honour the terms of the agreement. This led to accusations of false remarks against Diwakar regarding fraudulent activities. The ex-partner has now taken the matter to the High Court to challenge these allegations.
In the legal documents presented to the court, the plaintiff emphasizes that false accusations circulating in the media have adversely affected his image and reputation.
As a result, authorities have directed social media and publishing platforms to take down all purportedly untrue news concerning Diwakar. The defendant’s lawyer, Dayanand Sharma, highlighted these concerns during a press conference earlier this month.
Sharma asserted that Dhoni had accused his client of fraud. He claimed that Diwakar continued operating under the contracted names, such as “MS Dhoni Cricket Academy” and “MS Dhoni Sports Academy,” even after the revocation of the authorization. Aarka Sports granted the authorization to operate academies.
Dhoni, in response, filed a criminal complaint against Diwakar. The complaint accuses him of breach of trust, forgery, cheating, using forged documents as genuine, and criminal conspiracy. The former partners will engage in a legal battle in the Delhi High Court from January 18.