A bailable warrant has been issued against India cricket team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni by Andhra Pradesh court for hurting religious sentiments on Tuesday.
Dhoni has been summoned by a court for a hearing on July 16, but it is unlikely that the Indian skipper will be present for the hearing as he has already left with the Indian team to play a five-match Test series against England.
The warrant has been issued against Dhoni for posing as Hindu god Vishnu on the cover of Indian fortnightly magazine 'Business Today'. The Indian wicketkeeper was seen holding various products in his hands, including a shoe.
The cover picture in the magazine also contained the subtitle 'God of Big Deals'. A local leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Y. Shyam Sunder, had filed the complaint against the Indian skipper for hurting religious sentiments and demeaning the Hindu god.
Following the complaint, Choori Khan, the 6th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) registered a case against the Indian captain under section 295, along with 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
This is not the first time Dhoni has been called by the court, as he has previously received summons thrice, and after the hearing on Tuesday, the court issued an arrest warrant against him.
Similar cases were filed against Captain Cool in Delhi, Pune and other cities.
Meanwhile, the Indian team along with skipper Dhoni has already landed in England for playing the Test series, starting July 9. The Indian team is slated to play County Championship side Leicestershire in the first match on English soil on June 26.
The Indian team is slated to play the second Test at Lord's, starting July 17, just a day after the hearing date of MS Dhoni's case.
