Criminal proceedings against MS Dhoni stayed by Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has stayed criminal proceedings initiated by a Bengaluru Court against MS Dhoni, offering major relief to India's oneday cricket captain who has been accused of hurting religious sentiments.

A bench of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and RK Agrawal issued notices to the complainant, asking him why the case should not be quashed. He alleged that Dhoni's portrayal on the cover of a business magazine as Lord Vishnu, holding various things including a shoe, had hurt religious sentiments.

The Karnataka High Court on August 17 refused to quash the proceedings against Dhoni, which led him to approach the top court.

In his defence, Dhoni said he had no knowledge of the picture as he had neither given permission nor posed for it. The complaint is frivolous, vexatious and a sheer abuse of the process of law, Dhoni said. He said it was intended to harass him.



Several complaints had been filed against him. However, only one court, in Bengaluru, had proceeded against him, taking cognisance of the complaint and summoning him.

The trial court should have at least got the complaint investigated before taking cognisance, he said. He also claimed that the trial court could not have issued process against him beyond his territorial jurisdiction.

He contended that criminal cases could not be issued for a lark against any citizen as it involves his reputation and that no one should be compelled to go through the rigour of a trial when there was not an iota of truth in the allegations.