Court order against Dhoni erroneous, claims lawyer

Mahendra Singh Dhoni never received summons from a local court in Andhra Pradesh that he has been accused of ignoring, his lawyer Rajneesh Chopra said today insisting that the Non Bailable Warrant issued against the Indian cricket captain was "erroneous".

Dhoni has been asked to appear before a court in the Anantpur town of Andhra Pradesh on February 25 in a case filed against him for for allegedly "denigrating" a Hindu god by posing as lord Vishnu on a magazine cover page.

"Mahendra Singh Dhoni has utmost respect for the judiciary but the fact of the matter is that he has personally never received any summons with respect to the present case; therefore the order appears to be erroneous," Dhoni's lawyer Chopra said in a statement issued by Rhiti Sports, the company managing Dhoni.

"Even as such, proceedings in a similar matter pending before the Hon'ble District Court of Bengaluru, Kartanaka has already been stayed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. In this matter, accordingly we will approach the courts and seek appropriate directions thereto," he added.

The complaint, filed by local activists, 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.