New Delhi: May 19, 2014
A Delhi court has directed recording of statement of a man who filed a complaint against Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni accusing him of insulting Hindu religion by posing as a deity and holding a shoe in his hand on the cover page of a magazine.
Metropolitan Magistrate Mayuri Singh, who had earlier declined the plea seeking
of FIR against Dhoni, has directed the complainant to lead pre-summoning evidence on August 14 in favour of his complaint.
“He (complainant) submits that he may be permitted to lead evidence in order to substantiate the allegations made by him in the present complaint. In view of submissions, put up for pre-summoning evidence of the complainant for August 14,” the court said.
The court was hearing a plea filed by Rajinder Singh Raja, national general secretary of a social organisation Shivsena Hindustan, in which he had alleged that in April 2013 edition of the magazine, Dhoni was portrayed as Lord Vishnu with a sub-title ‘God of Big Deals’ and was shown holding products of several firms including a shoe in his hand.
The complainant had sought registration of a FIR against Dhoni, the publisher and the editor of the magazine for allegedly insulting Hindu religion and its Gods and Goddesses.
The Delhi Police had earlier filed a status report in pursuance to court’s order stating that the photograph of Dhoni in the magazine posing as God and holding a shoe in his hand “is a work of art” and the cricketer had “no intention” to insult any religion.
The report, filed by the Nand Nagri Police Station here, had also said the magazine was under publication in Film City in Noida which was not under their jurisdiction.
The complaint had sought lodging of an FIR for the alleged offences of injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class and uttering words with the deliberate intent to wound religious feelings.
He alleged that Dhoni’s photograph has hurt sentiments of the Hindus and had also insulted the Hindu religion and Lord Vishnu.
“Dhoni has been portrayed as God Vishnu and instead of showing religious things, the magazine is showing several products of various companies including a shoe in his hand. It has insulted the religious sentiments and God,” the complaint had alleged.
The complainant had said he has approached the court after the police did not take action on his complaint filed against the cricketer and the magazine editor.