|| CF DESK ||

The Madras High Court has handed IPS officer G Sampath Kumar a 15-day simple imprisonment sentence in a contempt plea moved by cricketer MS Dhoni.

A bench comprising Justices delivered the verdict, emphasizing the seriousness of Kumar's actions. However, the court temporarily suspended the sentence for 30 days, allowing Kumar the chance to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The legal dispute traces back to 2014 when Dhoni filed a Rs 100 crore defamation suit against Kumar.

During this time, Kumar was overseeing the 2013 IPL betting case, and allegations linking Dhoni to the scandal had emerged. The defamation suit aimed to counter these damaging claims.

Kumar, in a written statement, had criticized the Supreme Court for allegedly straying from the rule of law. He raised concerns about the handling of the report, which investigated the 2013 match-fixing allegations.

Kumar further alleged that the Supreme Court intentionally withheld certain documents from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Dhoni lodged a petition about Kumar's statements as scandalous and contumacious, directly challenging the integrity of the judicial system.