Madras high court sentences IPS officer Sampath Kumar to 15 days jail on MS Dhoni’s contempt of court plea

The Madras High Court on 15th December 2023 sentenced IPS officer Sampath Kumar to 15 days of imprisonment in a contempt of court petition moved by cricketer MS Dhoni. However, a division bench of Justice S S Sundar and Justice Sunder Mohan suspended the sentence for 30 days to enable Sampath Kumar to prefer an appeal.

On December 17, 2021, Sampath Kumar filed an additional written statement in a defamation suit moved by Dhoni against the IPS officer in connection with the 2014 IPL betting scam.

As per MS Dhoni, Sampath Kumar had made scandalous and contumacious statements against the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court.

“He (Sampath Kumar) has stated that the Supreme Court deviated its focus on the rule of law and shelved the deposition of the Justice Mudgal Committee (constituted to probe 2013 match-fixing allegations) and kept it in a sealed cover for reasons he failed to comprehend,” Dhoni said.

He had further added that the Supreme Court had motive in not providing the sealed cover to CBI officer Vivek Priyandarshini for investigation, Dhoni alleged.

This apart, the officer had also maligned, disrespected and scandalised the MHC and made false allegations against designated senior counsels of the court including the office of the advocate general of Tamil Nadu, Dhoni said. Allowing the plea, the bench found Sampath Kumar guilty of the offence of contempt of court.