Aastha Thakur
Published on: 05 November 2022 at 17:36 IST
Contempt plea has been filed by former Indian cricketer MS Dhoni in the High Court of Madras against IPS officer G Sampath Kumar, who had led the investigation in the matter of Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing and betting scandal of 2013.
The petition submitted by Dhoni alleges that Sampath had used certain derogatory terms in his written submissions in a related case, and the said terms amounts to contempt of court.
The matter was listed before the court on Friday, however due to lack of time it could not be taken up.
Dhoni filed a defamation lawsuit at the High Court in 2021 against Sampath, a television media organization, and others over allegedly fraudulent news reports and statements that the cricket player had been involved in match-fixing and betting during IPL games in 2013. He had pleaded to restrain the defendants, including Kumar, who had initially investigated into the IPL betting scam, from publishing such false claims about him in connection with it.
The decree was given by Justice S Tamilvanan, granting him temporary injunction restraining the defendants from making such statements or publishing them.
In his motion for contempt, Dhoni contended that he had obtained the Tamil Nadu Advocate General’s approval in July of this year to proceed with legal action against Sampath. He thus pleaded with the High Court to summon Sampath.
Sampath had earlier sought that the court quash and set aside the defamation lawsuits filed against him. In December 2021, he had submitted to the Court his written arguments.
Sampath responded in his reply that the defamation lawsuit was meant to muzzle him. Additionally, he asserted that the fact that Dhoni opted to bring the lawsuit at Madras High Court even though he did not reside in Tamil Nadu was evidence that the player and others were engaged in a “conspiracy” and meant to “gag voices.”
He also raised questioned regarding why the Mudgal Committee report, which contained information on the investigation into charges of corruption against former Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) Chairman N Srinivasan and others, was kept under a sealed cover by the Supreme Court.