Vikrant Shekhawat : Jul 25, 2022, 10:47 PM
Cricket | The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the arbitration proceedings initiated by former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni over some financial dispute against real estate firm Amrapali Group. Dhoni was the 'brand ambassador' of the now defunct real estate company group. The apex court-appointed forensic auditor had told the court that the Amrapali group entered into a fictitious agreement with Rithi Sports Management Pvt Ltd (RSMPL), which promoted Dhoni's brand, to illegally launder money from home buyers. Also, a total of Rs 42.22 crore was paid to RSMPL between 2009 and 2015.Dhoni had moved the Delhi High Court. The court had on 16 October 2019 appointed former judge Veena Birbal as the sole arbitrator to mediate between the cricketer and the real estate company. A court-appointed 'receiver' to a bench of Justices U U Lalit and Bela M Trivedi on Monday explained the pending arbitration proceedings between Dhoni and the real estate company and the problems being faced by them in taking it forward.The top court, in its order, noted that in order to ensure that the interests of housing buyers are protected, it has taken cognizance of the issues and appointed a court receiver to ensure that housing projects are completed within time and for apartment buyers. be allotted toIt is noteworthy that in April 2019, Dhoni had moved the apex court seeking protection of his ownership over a penthouse of over 5,500 sq ft that was booked by him in an Amrapali group project 10 years ago. Advocate ML Lahoti, who is associated with the case, said the real estate company had paid a hefty amount to Dhoni for being the brand ambassador and "we had earlier argued that this amount should be taken back" and "a matter of getting the money back". continues in the Supreme Court. ,