The Madras High Court has ordered proceedings to start on Monday in the ten-year-old defamation case filed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, which is now about to go to trial.  

Dhoni has sued Zee Media Corporation, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, retired IPS officer G Sampath Kumar, and News Nation Network for allegedly unfairly connecting him to the IPL betting scandal. The action is worth Rs 100 crore.

According to Dhoni's 2014 lawsuit, the defendants have been airing and publishing "false and defamatory" reports that imply he is involved in betting, match-fixing, and spot-fixing since February 11 of that year.

According to the lawsuit, News Nation misreported that Dhoni had been called by Tamil Nadu police, while Zee News, Chaudhary, and G Sampath Kumar made similar assertions on multiple occasions.

Dhoni told the court in a sworn affidavit that he would be available for questioning and cross-examination from October 20 to December 10 of this year. In order to prevent possible disturbances at the court premises, Justice CV Karthikeyan has designated an attorney commissioner to record his evidence at a mutually agreeable place in Chennai.

Presenting Dhoni's affidavit before the court, senior counsel PR Raman reiterated his resolve to pursue the issue. Due to the defendants' numerous motions and procedural objections, the trial has been postponed for eleven years.  

“The above request is made with the intent to avoid any undue delay (in disposal of the suit pending in the High Court for over a decade) and to support the fair, just, and speedy adjudication of the suit. I state that I shall extend my full co-operation with the Advocate Commissioner and comply with all directions issued by this honorable court regarding the trial and the recording of evidence," the affidavit read, as reported by The Hindu.

In this protracted legal struggle, the High Court's decision to move forward is a major step as Dhoni tries to clear his name and recover damages for what he maintains are unfounded accusations.