Lord Vishnu cover controversy: SC stays criminal proceedings against MS Dhoni

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 29: In a major relief for Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the criminal proceedings against him in his case of allegedly 'denigrating' a Hindu god by posing as Lord Vishnu on the cover page of a magazine. Dhoni has also sought the transfer of the case against him from Anantapur to Bengaluru and the apex court has issued a notice on the same. The interim relief comes after a court in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh had issued a non-bailable warrant against the cricketer. In September last year, the Supreme Court had stayed the criminal proceedings against Dhoni and also issued notice to social activist Jayakumar Hiremath, who had filed the case against the cricketer. Dhoni had earlier approached the apex court seeking quashing of a criminal case against him in the Karnataka High Court for allegedly outraging religious sentiments for his portrayal of Lord Vishnu on a magazine cover. The Karnataka High Court, however, refused to quash the case, prompting Dhoni to file an appeal in the apex court. Meanwhile, Dhoni is currently touring in Australia in a five ODI and three T20 series against the hosts from January 12th to January 31st.