Bengaluru court summons Dhoni for controversial Vishnu avatar

January 18, 2015

Bengaluru, Jan 18: The 9th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court here on Saturday issued summons to cricketer M S Dhoni and the editor of a business magazine to appear before it with regard to an advertisement featuring the cricketer as the idol of Vishnu.

Hearing a petition filed by activist Jayakumar Hiremath, Judge J V Vijayanand ordered summons to Dhoni, the editor and five others to be personally present before the court during the next hearing on May 8.

The petitioner contended that Dhoni and the editor have hurt the Hindu religious sentiments by depicting Dhoni as Lord Vishnu with six hands holding products that he endorses. Among the products, a shoe is also held in one of the hands, said the petitioner. It is not right to place a shoe in the hands of a deity worshipped by Hindus, said the petitioner.

The photoshopped picture of Dhoni as Lord Vishnu was published in a business magazine in April, 2014 and a complaint was filed in May, 2013. Hiremath said that he tried to speak to Dhoni about the picture, but there was no proper response from him. Similarly, when the management of the magazine also did not respond, a complaint was filed.

Dharmapal, the petitioner's advocate said the complaint has been filed under Section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code which talks about deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. If found guilty, the punishment can be a maximum of three years of imprisonment along with penalty. The advocate added that it is a non-bailable offence.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments