Zee Media on Wednesday moved the Madras High Court to challenge interrogatories raised by former cricketer MS Dhoni in a defamation suit filed by him against the television channel, Bar and Bench reported.

Interrogatories are a set of written questions that one party in a legal case asks to the other, which must respond with written answers under oath.

Dhoni had lodged a defamation suit against Zee Media and Indian Police Service officer G Sampath Kumar in 2014 over statements alleging that the cricketer was involved in betting and match-fixing in the Indian Premier League that year. Subsequently, Zee Media and Kumar filed their written statements in the case.

However, Dhoni then approached the High Court seeking its permission to deliver interrogatories – a total of 17 questions – to Zee Media, claiming that the written statement filed by the company was “generalized” and did not contain “specific responses towards the allegation raised”. In July, a single bench of Justice AA Nakkiran allowed him to do so, according to The Hindu.

Zee then moved court demanding that the order by the single bench be set aside. However, its petition was dismissed by Justice G Chandrasekharan on November 11.

Justice Chandrasekharan observed that the media company failed to establish reasons for the setting aside of the order, reported Live Law. He also said that a single judge could not set aside the order of another single judge.

Separately, the cricketer also filed a contempt of court petition in the Madras High Court against Kumar in November. Dhoni accused Kumar of making derogatory remarks against the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court in the statement submitted to the court.

In its plea against the questions raised by Dhoni, Zee Media argued that the November 11 judgement allowing the interrogatories was prejudiced and was a miscarriage of justice.

The channel claimed that the interrogatories mostly contained questions that should be raised during the cross-examination in the trial.

On Wednesday, a bench of Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq refused to pass any interim orders in the case, according to Live Law.

The bench adjourned the case to March 13.