Jammu Court Issues Summons to BCCI President Over Defamation Complaint by Ex-Cop
A court in Jammu and Kashmir has issued summons to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Mithun Manhas, officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), and several journalists in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against them.
The complaint, filed by retired police officer and former Ranji player Sudershan Mehta, accuses Manhas and other JKCA subcommittee members of defamation, abetment, and criminal conspiracy under Sections 356, 45, and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
After examining the preliminary statement, Judicial Magistrate Sunil Kumar observed that under the proviso to Section 211 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, the court must hear the accused before taking cognizance of such offences. The judge, therefore, directed all accused to appear either personally or through counsel on November 24, 2025, to present their objections or defence.
“The accused are directed to appear in person or through a pleader and submit their objections or defence, failing which the court shall take cognizance of the offence based on the material placed by the complainant,” the order stated.
The case will now be heard on November 24, 2025.
According to Mehta’s complaint, the JKCA’s subcommittee members — Mithun Manhas, Brig (Retd) Anil Gupta, and Majid Dar — allegedly exceeded their authority and failed to implement the Lodha Committee reforms mandated by the Supreme Court and the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. The three were appointed by the BCCI in 2021 to oversee JKCA’s daily functioning.
Mehta claims that the accused went beyond their administrative powers by taking key financial and governance-related decisions in violation of court directions. The complaint was first filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jammu, and later transferred to the sub-judge’s court.
The controversy deepened when Mehta filed a writ petition before the J&K High Court challenging Manhas’ nomination as BCCI President. Although the High Court dismissed the plea on September 26, 2025, citing lack of territorial jurisdiction, it did not comment on the merits of the case.
However, Mehta alleges that the very next day, the JKCA subcommittee issued a press release falsely claiming that the High Court had dismissed the petition as “frivolous” and that Mehta “had no locus standi.” Several media outlets, including The Northlines, The Kashmir Horizon, Brighter Kashmir, and The Indian News Service (theins.in), published these claims, which Mehta says defamed him by calling him a “self-proclaimed ex-cricketer” involved in “morally corrupt practices.”
The complainant argues that these publications misrepresented the High Court’s order and damaged his public image. He has annexed documents such as JKCA working committee minutes, the BCCI’s 2021 press release, High Court judgments, the allegedly defamatory news articles, and subsequent rebuttals published by outlets like Rising Kashmir, Daily Gadyal, and Greater Jammu.
The case was filed through Advocate Paras Kapahi.
