Lele demands Rs 5 crore from Rediff

The recent fracas over an interview that the Honorary Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jaywant Lele was alleged to have given to the website Rediff.com has come to a head. Mr. Lele has carried out his threat of legal action and demanded that Rediff pay him Rupees five crore (approximately US$ 1.65 million) as "general damages" within 72 hours.

Rediff recently published a sensational interview in which Lele was attributed to saying that India would lose all three Test matches to Australia in the forthcoming series. The letter was addressed to reporter Faisal Sharif and editor Nikhil Lakshman. Lele also said that the money would be used to develop and promote cricket in India, as the publication of the interview had tarnished the image of the game.

Lele demanded that an unconditional apology be published both in Rediff.com and in all national newspapers across he country. Lele also said in no uncertain terms that the interview titled "Lele Unfolds" was "false and fictitious and made with the specific intent to malign."