IOA President denounces Kalyan Chaubey's illegal actions

It has come to my attention that Mr. Kalyan Chaubey, impersonating himself as the Acting CEO of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), has issued an agenda using official IOA stationery for a Special General Meeting (SGM) to be held on 25 October 2024 in New Delhi. This action is both illegal and in violation of the IOA Constitution. 

I want to make it unequivocally clear that the current and only CEO of the IOA is Mr. Raghuram lyer, who officially joined the IOA on 15 January 2024. Despite certain members of the IOA Executive Council (EC) denying his appointment and withholding his salary for the past nine months, Mr. lyer continues to serve in his role. Importantly, both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), Government of India, recognize Mr. Raghuram lyer as the legitimate CEO of the IOA. 

In accordance with Article 8.1 of the IOA Constitution, as the President of the IOA, I have already convened the SGM, with due notice issued on 3 October 2024. Further, I have not authorised Mr. Kalyan Chaubey, Jt Secretary IOA to convene any meeting or promulgate an agenda for the SGM on 25 October 2024. Additionally, it is also worth noting that for the EC members to convene a SGM through the CEO, such a decision can only be taken at an EC Meeting as required by the IOA Constitution, which has not been convened in the recent past. Infact, my efforts to convene Emergency EC meetings since mid- January 2024, have resulted in EC members not letting me proceed forward with the agenda, let aside any discussion on convening a SGM being discussed. Therefore, any other agenda or notice for the same meeting, including the one issued by Mr. Kalyan Chaubey, is illegal, unauthorized, and must be viewed as being issued with mala fide intent and needs to be disregarded. 

It is worth noting that Kalyan Chaubey is the official representative of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for the SGM scheduled on 25 October 2024, which I have lawfully convened. He is also guilty of issuing a recognition to Taekwondo Federation of India without the approval of General Assembly, Therefore, this attempt to act as the Ag CEO and issue a separate agenda for the same SGM raises serious concerns about the motives behind these actions.

Just a few days ago, I was approached by certain senior sports administrators, who requested that I withdraw the agenda for the SGM and call off the meeting. I was further informed that 12 members of the IOA EC might issue a "No Confidence Motion" against me, if I went ahead with the SGM on 25 October 2024. The illegal notice issued by Mr. Chaubey now confirms my belief that there is a group of individuals working behind the scenes to disrupt the functioning of the IOA. These individuals clearly have much to hide and are using select EC members to shield themselves from scrutiny. 

As President, I am committed to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability, and integrity within the IOA. Any actions that violate these principles, including the unauthorized issuance of agendas and impersonation, will not be tolerated. 

I urge all stakeholders to recognize the legality of the SGM notice issued by my office on 3 October 2024, and to disregard any illegal actions that are in direct contravention of the IOA Constitution.