The Madras High Court has directed former Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni to deposit ₹10 lakh towards the cost of transcribing and translating CDs that are part of the evidence in his long-pending civil defamation suit. The order was issued by Justice R.N. Manjula, who noted that the task of translating and transcribing the contents of the CDs is extensive and would require the full time of an interpreter and a typist for several months, and that as the plaintiff in the suit Dhoni is obligated to bear such costs. The court observed that ordinarily the plaintiff must file all necessary documents along with the plaint, and since an official interpreter has been engaged to assist with the process due to extraneous circumstances, the cost of that work must be paid by the plaintiff. The amount directed to be paid is to cover the entire transcription and translation exercise required for the CDs that are in the court’s custody and which the parties had sought permission to make copies of for their use in the proceedings. The court fixed the cost at ₹10 lakh and set a deadline for Dhoni to deposit it, after which the transcription is to be completed by the appointed interpreter and typist within a specified timeframe.
The order arises in the context of a defamation action filed by Dhoni in 2014 for ₹100 crore against Zee Media Corporation, IPS officer G. Sampath Kumar, and News Nation Network Pvt. Ltd., among others, over allegedly defamatory statements linking him to the IPL betting scandal of 2013. The suit has been pending for over a decade, and in August 2025 the Madras High Court had ordered the commencement of trial and appointed an advocate commissioner to record Dhoni’s evidence, given the difficulties and potential security concerns associated with his personal attendance in court. The present order concerning translation costs follows earlier directions allowing the parties to obtain copies of the CDs that contain news clips and debates in Hindi, which must be translated into English for use as part of the evidence in the civil trial. The High Court’s direction requiring Dhoni to bear the cost reflects the principle that the burden of preparing and presenting the evidence lies with the party who relies upon it, and ensures that the necessary preparatory work for the trial proceeds in an orderly manner.
The court’s ruling sets a deadline both for the payment of the ₹10 lakh to the Chief Justice’s Relief Fund as well as for completion of the transcription and translation work, and listed the matter for further hearing to continue the progress of the civil suit. The ongoing litigation involves comprehensive proceedings, including the compilation of documentary evidence and recording of witness testimony, as the court moves forward with adjudication of the defamation claims that have kept the case active in the judicial system for many years.
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