The Madras High Court on Monday decided to hear on June 15, a contempt of court petition filed by ace cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni against Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G. Sampath Kumar for having allegedly made contumacious remarks against the Supreme Court and the High Court.
Justices M. Sundar and K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi told senior counsel P.R. Raman, representing the cricketer, and advocate Perumbulavil Radhakrishnan representing the IPS officer that they take up contempt of court petitions for hearing every Thursday and therefore this case, would also be heard on that day.
The judges also took note that the IPS officer had filed his reply affidavit to the contempt plea and that he was also present in the court on Monday, though the court had recorded his presence during the last hearing on December 15, 2022 and dispensed with his personal appearance during further hearings.
Mr. Dhoni had urged the court to punish Mr. Kumar for the remarks made by him against the judiciary in his written statement filed in response to a ₹100 crore defamation suit filed against the IPS officer by the cricketer in 2014 for having named him in the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting scam.
Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram had granted permission to the cricketer, as required under the Contempt of Courts Act, to move the criminal contempt of court petition after being satisfied that the remarks made by the IPS officer in the written statement amounted to scandalising court proceedings.
