New Delhi, Feb 01, 2024, IANS

New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) The President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kalyan Chaubey, has issued a legal defamation notice (a copy of which is with IANS) through his advocate Sudarshan Kumar Agarwal to Gopalakrishna Kosaraju, the former President of Andhra Pradesh Football Association, over the allegations levelled against him by the latter.

Chaubey has also demanded a public apology from Kosaraju, while reserving the rights to seek compensation for the damages.

Earlier, vide an email dated January 29, 2024, Kosarasju had claimed that Chaubey and AIFF Treasurer Kipa Ajay spent the federation’s funds for their personal use.

Chaubey explicitly and unequivocally denied the allegations, terming them as a "creation of vindictive imagination" by Kosaraju.

The unfounded nature of the allegations in the public forum has already caused substantial harm to Chaubey's personal and professional standing, the legal notice claimed.

Chaubey, through the legal notice, has called for an immediate cease and desist from levelling the defamatory allegations or making any public statements that may cast aspersions on Chaubey’s character, integrity or professional conduct.

“Immediately cease and desist from further disseminating this defamatory email or making any public statements that cast aspersions on my client Kalyan Chaubey's character, integrity, or professional conduct.

“Immediately retract and/or withdraw the defamatory and false allegations made against my client in the email dated January 29, 2024, and any such similar correspondence issued to any such persons, and leaked to the members of the media.

“Issue a written public apology to my client for inventing fictitious, false, per se defamatory and malicious allegations against him in terms of your email dated January 29, 2024. The apology should be disseminated through the same channels as the original defamatory communication to ensure it reaches the same audience," the notice read.

⁠The notice gave Kosaraju seven days to tender a public apology to rectify the 'harm' inflicted by the 'false' accusations.

“In the event you fail to comply with the above within seven days from the receipt of this notice, my client will be constrained to initiate appropriate proceedings to protect his rights and interests and such proceedings will be at your sole risk, cost and consequence.

"Such failure will leave my client with no choice but to pursue the legal remedies available to him, of both a civil and criminal nature, under the applicable laws,” the legal notice read.