Former business partners file defamation suit against MS Dhoni, Delhi HC to hear matter on Jan 18: Report

Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Das, former business partners of ex-Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Tuesday filed a defamation suit against him in the Delhi High Court. The hearing in the matter is scheduled for January 18 under Justice Prathiba M Singh. 

In this suit, Diwakar and Das are seeking a permanent injunction and damages from Dhoni, social media platforms, and media houses, preventing them from publishing defamatory, false, and malicious statements against them. 

They also want to restrain the defendants from harming their reputation based on Dhoni's alleged false accusations of illegal gains of Rs 15 crores and a breach of a 2017 contract. In 2017, Diwakar signed a deal with MS Dhoni to open cricket academies across the world in the latter's name, which he allegedly failed to honor. 

As per the agreement, Aarka Sports had to pay a franchise fee and share profits as per the agreement's terms, which was allegedly not honored.  Following this, in August 2021, Dhoni revoked the authority letter granted to the firm. 

He also sent the firm many legal notices but to no avail. Dayanand Singh, who represented Dhoni through Vidhi Associates, said they were deceived and cheated by Aarka Sports. “MS Dhoni revoked his authority on August 15, 2021. Despite this, they continued to set up academies in around eight to ten locations…We served them legal notices twice for violating the agreement norms. They duped MS Dhoni of more than ₹15 crore,” the lawyer told agencies.

Dhoni recently filed a criminal case against Diwakar and Das in a Ranchi lower court, accusing them of defrauding him of roughly Rs 16 crore by failing to fulfil a contract to establish cricket academies. 

This case was filed against the directors of Aarka Sports, a sports management company, under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. The couple were reportedly friends with Dhoni and Diwakar even played in the Ranji Trophy with the former Indian captain. 

(With PTI inputs)