CALCUTTA (India): The 10th Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Calcutta has summoned Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua and All India Chess Federation (AICF) Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan for libel and slander against Bengal Chess Association (BCA) Secretary and International Master Atanu Lahiri.
“The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate has taken cognizance of the offence based on preliminary investigation,” the BCA said in a press release on Thursday.
Barua and Chauhan will appear in the court, and if proven guilty, they may have to face imprisonment up to two years for defaming Lahiri, who is also a FIDE Education Commission member.
This development is likely to have an effect on AICF and BCA elections, which are held under court orders. Interestingly, Chauhan and Barua are contesting the respective elections as secretary generals.
Barua, India’s second Grandmaster after Viswanathan Anand, had accused Lahiri of corruption on August 27, 2019, when the BCA secretary general was on national duty as Indian team’s coach at the World Cadet Championship in China.
This was followed by an attack on Lahiri by Chauhan at a press conference. Later, an inquiry committee set by AICF president had given a clean chit to Lahiri and cleared him of all the charges.
