India’s limited overs cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on 8 January issued a non-bailable warrant by an Indian court with regard to his photo as God Vishnu on a magazine cover, reported oneindia.com.

‘According to reports on Friday (8 January), a non-bailable warrant was issued against the Indian skipper by a court in Anantapur and has been asked to appear in person on 25 February.’

‘Dhoni is currently in Australia to play five ODIs and three T20Is against the hosts, from 12 January. The tour ends on 31 January.’

‘MS Dhoni speaks to reporters before Indian team’s departure to Australia from Mumbai, recently In the April 2013 edition of ‘Business Today’ magazine, Dhoni’s face was morphed as God Vishnu on the cover page with the title ‘God of big deals’. For this, cases were filed against the cricketer for ‘denigrating’ Hindu God.’

In August 2015, the Karnataka High Court, after taking up the case, had observed: ‘A celebrity and a cricketer like Dhoni should know the consequences of hurting religious sentiments of people. He should have known the consequences of doing such ads.’

In his defence, Dhoni had said he did not pose as God.

‘I haven’t received any remuneration/goodwill or money for the news article or for usage of my picture on the cover page or anywhere else. Neither have I posed for the picture which was published in the magazine on 14 April 2013,’ the captain had said.

‘In September 2015, the Supreme Court had stayed criminal proceedings against Dhoni in the same case where he was alleged to have deliberately hurt religious sentiments by posing as God Vishnu.’