In a much awaited breather, the Supreme Court has stayed criminal proceeding against cricketer M S Dhoni in a Bengaluru court over his alleged portrayal as Lord Vishnu in a publication. Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni had moved to the Supreme Court against Karnataka High Court order in a case filed against him for allegedly “denigrating” a Hindu god by posing as Lord Vishnu on a magazine cover page.
The High Court had last month observed: “A celebrity and a cricketer like Dhoni should know the consequences of hurting religious sentiments of people. He should have known the consequences of doing such ads.”
The complaint, filed by social activist Jayakumar Hiremath, had alleged that Dhoni was seen on the cover of a business magazine as Lord Vishnu, holding several things, including a shoe in his hands.