In a significant legal development, the Madras High Court has handed a 15-day imprisonment sentence to IPS officer Sampath Kumar in response to a contempt of court petition filed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni.
A bench comprising Justices SS Sundar and Sunder Mohan, while delivering the verdict, opted to suspend the sentence for thirty days, granting Kumar the opportunity to file an appeal as per Bar and Bench.
MS Dhoni initiated a defamation suit before the High Court, targeting Zee Media, Kumar, and others. The suit addressed alleged malicious statements and news reports suggesting Dhoni’s involvement in betting and match-fixing during Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in 2013.
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MS Dhoni and IPL betting scandal saga
As the former captain of the Indian cricket team, MS Dhoni sought to restrain the defendants, including Kumar, who initially investigated the IPL betting scandal, from disseminating defamatory statements regarding his connection to the issue.
Previously, the High Court had issued an interim injunction, prohibiting Zee, Kumar, and others from making defamatory statements against Dhoni.
Subsequently, after Zee and the other defendants submitted their written statements in response to the defamation suit, MS Dhoni filed an application.
This application alleged that Kumar had continued to make defamatory statements in his written submissions, prompting Dhoni to request the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Kumar.
The legal representation for MS Dhoni throughout this case was provided by advocate PR Raman.
