Madras High Court dismisses Zee Media’s appeal against MS Dhoni
The stumper-batter had also sought damages to the tune of Rs. 100 Crore or more.
Legendary cricketer MS Dhoni previously issued a defamatory suit against Zee media after their reports linking the cricketer to betting in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League. The former India skipper eventually took the matter to the Madras High Court, and recently, the judges dismissed an appeal made by Zee Media with the intention of closing the case.
The division bench of Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq clarified that the media house should have been aware of things before alleging a cricketer of world repute who represented the national team for over a decade. The bench eventually questioned the media house and reminded them that the truth with regard to the allegations has to be properly ascertained before being put out to the audience.
“The first respondent is a cricketer of world repute and a dedicated person who represented our Country at the highest levels of international cricket with sincerity and devotion. When an allegation is made against such an international personality, the News Channel like that of the appellant herein, has to be cautious in telecasting news reports against such person. The truth with regard to the allegations have to be properly ascertained without there being any iota of doubt,” Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq observed.
Notably, Dhoni’s counsel argued that the media organisation questioned the cricketer’s reputation without any foundation. Meanwhile, Dhoni’s franchise, Chennai Super Kings, was banned for two years due to betting-related activities but their skipper was found guilty free. Despite so, the media organisation didn’t clarify the deets and questioned the faith of the cricketer. Hence, Dhoni registered a case of defamation against the organisation.
As per LiveLaw, the stumper-batter had also sought damages to the tune of Rs. 100 crore or more. Other than that, he had also instituted a suit against the news channel for seeking to restrain them and their men from publishing/ republishing anything directly or indirectly about him pertaining to the alleged report of Sampath Kumar IPS.
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