Madras HC orders commencement of MS Dhoni’s 100-crore defamation suit
The Madras High Court on Monday ordered that a trial commence in what is now a 10-year-old defamation suit, which was filed by former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni is seeking Rs 100 crore in damages from Zee Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G Sampath Kumar, and News Nation Network for having dragged his name in the Indian Premier League betting scam. Dhoni has told the court that he would be available for examination as well as cross-examination between 20th October and December 10 this year, according to a report in The Hindu. The report added that Justice CV Karthikeyan had appointed an advocate commissioner to record evidence from Dhoni on a “mutually convenient” premises in Chennai. The court said this was being done because the court wanted to avoid chaos on the court premises if Dhoni was to make an appearance. Senior counsel PR Raman submitted an affidavit from Dhoni, where he has shown his intent to proceed with the trial in the defamation suit.
Lewandowski eager to play for Poland again: Coach Urban with FIFA World Cup qualification on the line
Robert Lewandowski wants to play for his country again, Poland manager Jan Urban said on Tuesday, after the Barcelona striker said goodbye to international football with the national jersey, amidst a row over the previous coach’s decision to replace him as captain. Urban was named in July to replace Michal Probierz, who resigned in June amid the spat over his decision to take the captain’s armband away from Poland’s all-time top scorer and hand it to Inter Milan’s Piotr Zielinski. Poland sits third in its World Cup qualifying group behind Finland and the Netherlands, and Lewandowski is widely seen as vital to its hopes of reaching next year’s tournament. “I spoke with Robert Lewandowski by phone and asked if he wanted to come back,” Urban told private broadcaster RMF FM. “He said yes. So we’ve taken a step forward.” Asked whether Lewandowski would become captain again, Urban said discussions on the topic were ongoing. “I wouldn’t just like to talk to Robert, but also to those involved – Piotr Zielinski and the players on the team council. The decision will be mine, but I’d like to listen to the players and find out what they think.” Poland’s next World Cup qualifier is against the Netherlands away on September 4 before it hosts Finland three days later. Lewandowski, 36, has scored 85 goals in 158 appearances for Poland.
