Chennai, Sspt 18:
The Madras High Court has directed cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni to respond by October 9 to a petition filed by retired IPS officer G Sampath Kumar, seeking video recording of Dhoni’s deposition in a ₹100-crore defamation suit.
Sampath Kumar had filed a ₹100-crore defamation case against a private television channel in the Madras High Court in 2014, alleging that defamatory remarks were made against him during a television debate concerning the 2013 IPL betting case. Dhoni had subsequently initiated proceedings in the High Court in connection with the alleged defamatory statements.
In the case, the High Court had earlier ordered the appointment of an Advocate Commissioner to record Dhoni’s deposition. Sampath Kumar has now approached the court seeking directions for the deposition to be video recorded.
In his petition, Sampath Kumar sought the appointment of a judge to monitor the recording of the deposition. He also sought a direction that an unedited copy of the video-recorded deposition be provided to him.
The retired IPS officer further sought directions that the deposition should not be conducted at five-star hotels or private bungalows and should instead be held in a court premises or a government building.
The petition came up for hearing before Justice Govindarajan Tilakavathi on Thursday. The court directed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to file his response to the petition by October 9 and adjourned the matter for further hearing.