The Madras High Court has ordered the trial to begin in a 10-year-old defamation suit filed by former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni against Zee Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, retired IPS officer G. Sampath Kumar, and News Nation Network. Dhoni is seeking ₹100 crore in damages for being linked to the IPL betting scam. Justice C.V. Karthikeyan appointed an advocate commissioner to record Dhoni’s evidence in a mutually convenient location to avoid chaos due to his celebrity status. Dhoni expressed his willingness to proceed with the trial between October 20, 2025, and December 10, 2025, to ensure a fair and speedy adjudication of the suit. The court will select a retired district judge as the advocate commissioner for recording evidence. The trial had been delayed for over a decade due to various applications filed by the parties. In December 2023, a Division Bench convicted the retired IPS officer of criminal contempt of court, but the Supreme Court stayed the punishment in 2024. Dhoni had filed a contempt plea against the officer for making derogatory remarks against the courts. The trial will proceed after the completion of recording all evidence.
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