NACOF India Ltd. has served a defamation notice on BRS leader and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar over allegations he made about the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society tender for food provisions and cleaning materials, escalating a dispute over procurement for welfare hostels and residential institutions across the state.
The notice relates to remarks made by Praveen Kumar at a press conference on September 17. NACOF has asked him to withdraw the allegations within seven days, remove related videos and social media posts, and issue a formal written apology on the same platforms. The federation said it would initiate civil and criminal proceedings seeking damages and injunctive relief if he does not comply.
NACOF rejected the allegations made by Praveen Kumar and the BRS as baseless and incorrect. The source report does not detail the specific allegations made at the press conference and does not include a response from Praveen Kumar or the BRS to the legal notice.
The dispute centres on an e-procurement tender notified on May 22, 2026, for the supply of provisions and cleaning materials to Telangana’s residential institutions and welfare hostels. According to the legal notice, NACOF participated in an open and competitive tender process and was declared the lowest bidder, or L1, after an evaluation of all bids.
NACOF said it received a formal Letter of Award on August 19, 2026, and furnished the required performance security. It has since been supplying provisions and cleaning materials across all 33 districts of Telangana under the rate contract, the federation said.
The federation maintained that every stage of the tender process was documented and alleged that Praveen Kumar had not provided evidence to support his claims. The legal dispute therefore places the procurement process, the award to the lowest bidder and the ongoing supply contract at the centre of the public disagreement.
NACOF described itself as a multi-state cooperative federation registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. It said the organisation is regulated by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies under the Union ministry of cooperation.
The notice gives Praveen Kumar seven days to comply with NACOF’s demands. If he does not, the federation’s stated next step is to pursue civil and criminal proceedings, including claims for damages and injunctive relief. No court action or order arising from the notice was reported in the supplied material.
