Three contentious clauses likely to take centrestage in AITA EGM

With the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) to ratify the new Constitution scheduled for Sunday in New Delhi, three contentious clauses are likely to take centrestage.

These concern the composition of the Executive Committee (EC), the upper age-limit for office-bearers and how their tenures will be calculated. In a 15-member EC, the National Sports Governance Act mandates at least two Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) and two Athletes Committee (AC) representatives. But the Justice (Retd.) Gita Mittal-led panel has proposed five SOM and two from the AC to make it more athlete friendly.

As against the requirement of at least four of the 15 to be women (minimum of one each from SOM and AC), Justice Mittal’s team has sought the inclusion of at least five women (one-third) so that floor-level representation is maintained even when there is a vacancy.

The Sports Act mandates an age ceiling of 70 years for EC members but in the same breath says that those between 70 and 75 “may contest” and serve a full term “if permitted by the International Charters and Statutes and the bye-laws”. The AITA believes that since the 2026 Constitution of the International Tennis Federation only prescribes a lower limit (21 years) and is silent on an upper threshold, the ceiling can be raised to 75 years.

But the administrator’s team has argued that “may” limits the scope and the word “bye-laws” “envisages that the Bye-Laws of the National Sports body may restrict the age to 70 or below”. It also said that 70 was the unanimous choice of players past and present.

With regards to tenure, the Sports Act says a person is eligible if he or she is “not more than 70 on the last date of nomination for election”. Can someone turning 70 immediately after the nomination get elected for a full four-year term?

It is to be noted that veteran administrator Anil Khanna is 73 and interim president Chintan Parikh will turn 70 in the near future. The administrator has also proposed that no EC member can hold office simultaneously in State associations, and governing bodies of other National federations except the Indian Olympic Association.

Further, the Delhi High Court, in its interim order dated June 18, had stated that all actions at the EGM — including the scenario where the AITA does not adopt the proposals — would be subject to the final outcome of the main petition filed by players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja.

Observers

The administrator-appointed observers for the EGM will be Rakesh Munjal (senior advocate and president of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law), Raj Liberhan (bureaucrat and former secretary, International Lawn Tennis Club of India), Lorren Bamniyal (former registrar, Delhi High Court) and Illa Rawat (former district and sessions judge, Delhi).

Also, the AITA, through ITF, had sought an observer from the Asian Tennis Federation, but it is reliably learnt that the concerned person pulled out on Friday. Justice Mittal had earlier expressed her displeasure at the AITA trying to appoint Justice Ashish J. Desai (retd.) as an observer.