The All India Tennis Association (AITA) is under real pressure. Former India No. 1 singles player Somdev Devvarman and ex-doubles specialist Purav Raja have accused the national governing body of breaching the Sports Code year after year. They have dragged them to the court days before its elections on September 28. The body is a ‘serial offender’ in violating the Sports Code. There is a petition filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday.
The two tennis players have alleged that the AITA has violated several provisions of the Sports Code. The allegation includes ‘lack of any seats for athletes in the Central Council / General Assembly of AITA, lack of any mechanism for athletes to elect eminent sportspersons of outstanding merit to represent them in the Central Council / General Assembly.’ Along with this, there’s a ‘lack of reservation of seats for athletes in the Executive Committee and lack of any mechanism whereby athletes are elected from the Central Council / General Assembly to the Executive Committee.’
The doubles partner wants the Sports Ministry to guarantee that AITA follows the Sports Code. Until compliance is met, the federation’s general elections should be suspended. They have also made the government a party to the case, alleging that the ‘(Sports) Ministry has never once made efforts to ascertain if AITA complies with the SportsCode… and has turned a blind eye to multiple patent violations.’
AITA to dissolve forever
Will the AITA dissolve and make a new committee? As per the petition submitted it read, “It is submitted that it is essential that AITA as well as its constituents must comply with the Sports Code and the Ministry ought to be directed to ensure that AITA and its constituents are fully compliant with the requirements of the Sports Code as a condition for continued recognition only thereafter fresh elections may be directed to be held in fair transparent and democratic manner.”
Chintan Parikh, president of the Gujarat State Tennis Association (GSTA), will face off against Rohit Rajpal. The former India’s Davis Cup captain is for the position of president. Rajpal is also the President of the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association.
