Zee Media Moves Madras High Court Challenging Interrogatories Raised By MS Dhoni In Defamation Suit

Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq adjourned the case to March 13th and refused to pass any interim orders in the matter.

MS Dhoni had filed the defamation suit against the media company and others including IPS Sampath Kumar for making defamatory comments against the cricketer regarding the 2013 IPL Betting Scandal. Dhoni had also recently filed criminal contempt proceedings against the IPS officer for his remarks against the judiciary 

MS Dhoni then raised a set of 17 questions as interrogatories as the written statements filed were generalised and did not contain specific responses. The single judge allowed the same. Though Zee had filed an application to set aside the order, the same was dismissed. The single judge, while dismissing Zee's application observed that the media house failed to establish reasons to set aside the order and further a single judge could not set aside the order of another single judge.

Zee Media has now challenged this order before the division bench claiming that the order allowing interrogatories amounted to prejudice and miscarriage of justice.

Zee claimed that the single judge had passed the impugned order without weighing in on the balance of unreasonableness, vexatiousness, prolixity, oppression etc. The court had failed to note that allowing such interrogatories would give an advantage to Dhoni as he would the evidence of Zee beforehand.

Zee also submitted that the interrogatories amounted to cross examination of the defendant before the plaintiff which was against the established practice of law.

Case Title: Zee Media Corporation Limited v. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and others

Case No: OSA 50 of 2023