Lord Vishnu cover row: Relief for MS Dhoni as SC quashes criminal proceedings over portrayal as god

New Delhi: There was a huge relief for India's limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the Supreme Court on Monday quashed Karnataka High Court's order in a case filed against him for allegedly “denigrating” a Hindu god by posing as Lord Vishnu on a magazine cover page.

Supreme court quashes criminal proceedings against MS Dhoni for allegedly portraying himself as Lord Vishnu on a magazine cover page. — ANI (@ANI_news) September 5, 2016

The court's order said that no sentiments were hurt.

A non-bailable warrant was issued against India's ODI skipper on January 9 by a court in Anantapur in connection with him appearing on the cover of a magazine as Lord Vishnu.

The Supreme Court had earlier stayed the criminal proceedings against Dhoni and also issued notice to social activist Jayakumar Hiremath, who had filed the case against the cricketer.

Dhoni had earlier approached the apex court seeking quashing of a criminal case against him in the Karnataka High Court for allegedly outraging religious sentiments for his portrayal of Lord Vishnu on a magazine cover.

The Karnataka High Court, however, refused to quash the case, prompting Dhoni to file an appeal in the apex court.