Sports news
#Delhi #High #Court #directs #AITA #expediate #Constitutional #amendments #election">Delhi High Court directs AITA to expediate Constitutional amendments and election The Delhi High Court directed the interim Executive Committee of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) to expediate the process of amending its Constitution and bringing it in line with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 and National Sports Governance Rules, 2026.
The Court said that a fresh election under the amended Constitution will have to be held on or before September 30, 2026.
The nudge was part of the interim order passed on June 18 in an appeal filed by the AITA, and players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja, against the judgment delivered in late April which removed the stay on the results of the AITA election held in September 2024 and appointed Justice (Retd.) Gita Mittal as the AITA administrator.
New power centre
The AITA contended that the original judgment, which arose out of a petition filed by Devvarman and Raja, did not find any illegality in the elections, and the appointment of an administrator in such a scenario was impermissible and had created a “parallel structure”.
The AITA also stated that tennis’ world governing body – the International Tennis Federation (ITF) – may construe this as “third-party interference” and derecognise it. The remuneration of ₹10 lakh per month for the administrator was termed “excessive, arbitrary and unaffordable”.
Devvarman and Raja, while welcoming the appointment of the administrator, had objected on the grounds that 2024 election was not held according to the law of the land then – the National Sports Code, 2011 – and the officials thus elected cannot be part of the interim management.
ITF query
The Union Sports Ministry told the Court that it does not support the appointment of the administrator and submitted that it had indeed received a letter on May 18 from the ITF seeking clarification.
The Ministry, however, stated that ITF recognised the temporary nature of the proceedings and that the world body would only act if the timelines in the original judgment aren’t adhered to.
Race against time
The Court has now asked the AITA to examine the draft amendments already proposed by the administrator and submit its suggestions and objections by June 25. The administrator, after hearing the AITA, should finalise the amendments by July 15.
An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the AITA should be convened by July 31 to ratify these amendments, and the whole process ought to culminate in an election by the end of September.
Interestingly, the Court clarified that state associations affiliated to the AITA can vote in the EGM and in the new AITA election “irrespective of whether they are compliant with the Sports Act and the Sports Governance Rules at the time of voting”. The state bodies are required to comply with the new rules on or before December 31.
The Court further said that any action at the EGM will be subject to the final outcome of the present case, and this would allay the concerns of Devvarman and Raja regarding the AITA not adopting the amendments proposed by the administrator.
Published on Jun 23, 2026
The Delhi High Court directed the interim Executive Committee of the All India Tennis Association…
Sports news
#Delhi #lets #AITAs #poll #results #stand #appoints #Gita #Mittal #Administrator">Delhi HC lets AITA’s 2024 poll results stand but appoints Gita Mittal as Administrator
The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the results of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) elections held on September 28, 2024, to stand, but directed that the elected body will function only as an interim arrangement under the supervision of a court-appointed Administrator, former Chief Justice Gita Mittal.
In its order, Justice Mini Pushkarna made it clear that while the outcome of the 2024 elections will not be disturbed at this stage, the executive committee will operate in a limited capacity and remain subject to the oversight of Justice (Retd.) Mittal.
It means that Chintan Parikh, who is from the Gujarat State Association, is the new AITA president while Maharashtra’s Sunder Iyer is general secretary. Dinesh Arora from Punjab Association is treasurer while KSLTA’s Sunil Yajman is one of the joint secretaries.
“It’s a great moment for tennis in India. All we want is to promote the game in the country and take it to the pinnacle. We want to do a lot for junior tennis as well. While we will work as an interim body for the time being, it still is a huge step forward to create a system through which the Indian tennis ecosystem will benefit,” Iyer told PTI.
The court tasked Justice Mittal with managing the affairs of AITA and ensuring that its functioning is aligned with the National Sports Code and the amended constitution and by-laws by June 30.
As of now AITA has a 25-member Executive Committee but as per the NSG Act, it needs to be a 15-member panel.
She has also been directed to conduct fresh elections within a period of three months after the constitution is aligned with the Sports Act, 2025 and Sports Governance Rules 2026.
Until then, the present office-bearers will continue only to handle routine affairs.
“I totally welcome the judgement of the Hon’ble court. Happy that the long standing impasse has ended and this is a big a step forward for AITA and Indian tennis,” Yajman told PTI, reacting to the development.
“It’s crucial for us to follow the Hon’ble court’s order and work on implementing it without any delay. We all need to come together and work towards settling this matter forever and focus on development of the sport in our country. It’s imperative to move forward positively,” he added.
The court placed restrictions on the interim body, directing that it shall not make any new financial commitments without prior approval of the Administrator. It also mandated that the executive committee must function strictly in consonance with the amended by-laws.
Further, the court directed AITA to provide necessary infrastructure and logistical support to the Administrator, including office space, staff and other facilities required for the discharge of duties.
The Administrator has also been given the liberty to engage additional personnel, with all expenses, including a monthly remuneration of Rs 10 lakh, to be borne by AITA.
The court disposed of the writ petition along with pending applications in terms of the directions issued, noting that certain prayers had become infructuous in view of its findings in a connected matter.
Background
The September 2024 elections had been challenged before the High Court by former India players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja, who raised concerns over the conduct of polls, eligibility norms and adherence to the Sports Code.
Much before that, the infighting within the AITA had reached a level where the several member states had planned a no-confidence motion against president Anil Jain for misuse of his office but after interference from the ministry, the proposal was withdrawn.
Published on Apr 27, 2026
The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the results of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) elections held on September 28, 2024, to stand, but directed that the elected body will function only as an interim arrangement under the supervision of a court-appointed Administrator, former Chief Justice Gita Mittal.
In its order, Justice Mini Pushkarna made it clear that while the outcome of the 2024 elections will not be disturbed at this stage, the executive committee will operate in a limited capacity and remain subject to the oversight of Justice (Retd.) Mittal.
It means that Chintan Parikh, who is from the Gujarat State Association, is the new AITA president while Maharashtra’s Sunder Iyer is general secretary. Dinesh Arora from Punjab Association is treasurer while KSLTA’s Sunil Yajman is one of the joint secretaries.
“It’s a great moment for tennis in India. All we want is to promote the game in the country and take it to the pinnacle. We want to do a lot for junior tennis as well. While we will work as an interim body for the time being, it still is a huge step forward to create a system through which the Indian tennis ecosystem will benefit,” Iyer told PTI.
The court tasked Justice Mittal with managing the affairs of AITA and ensuring that its functioning is aligned with the National Sports Code and the amended constitution and by-laws by June 30.
As of now AITA has a 25-member Executive Committee but as per the NSG Act, it needs to be a 15-member panel.
She has also been directed to conduct fresh elections within a period of three months after the constitution is aligned with the Sports Act, 2025 and Sports Governance Rules 2026.
Until then, the present office-bearers will continue only to handle routine affairs.
“I totally welcome the judgement of the Hon’ble court. Happy that the long standing impasse has ended and this is a big a step forward for AITA and Indian tennis,” Yajman told PTI, reacting to the development.
“It’s crucial for us to follow the Hon’ble court’s order and work on implementing it without any delay. We all need to come together and work towards settling this matter forever and focus on development of the sport in our country. It’s imperative to move forward positively,” he added.
The court placed restrictions on the interim body, directing that it shall not make any new financial commitments without prior approval of the Administrator. It also mandated that the executive committee must function strictly in consonance with the amended by-laws.
Further, the court directed AITA to provide necessary infrastructure and logistical support to the Administrator, including office space, staff and other facilities required for the discharge of duties.
The Administrator has also been given the liberty to engage additional personnel, with all expenses, including a monthly remuneration of Rs 10 lakh, to be borne by AITA.
The court disposed of the writ petition along with pending applications in terms of the directions issued, noting that certain prayers had become infructuous in view of its findings in a connected matter.
Background
The September 2024 elections had been challenged before the High Court by former India players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja, who raised concerns over the conduct of polls, eligibility norms and adherence to the Sports Code.
Much before that, the infighting within the AITA had reached a level where the several member states had planned a no-confidence motion against president Anil Jain for misuse of his office but after interference from the ministry, the proposal was withdrawn.
Published on Apr 27, 2026
The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the results of the All India Tennis Association…