New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) The All India Tennis Association’s (AITA) Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Sunday is likely to witness a confrontation between the federation and court-appointed Administrator Justice (Retd.) Gita Mittal, with the two sides deeply divided over the constitutional amendments that will determine the body’s future governance.
The document prepared by the AITA Executive Committee, accessed by PTI, shows that while numerous technical changes suggested by Justice Mittal have been accepted, several major governance proposals have been rejected in favour of the federation’s own draft.
The EC repeatedly argues that many of the Administrator’s recommendations either go beyond the National Sports Governance Act or are not required for statutory compliance.
While both seek to align AITA’s constitution with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, they differ sharply on several key governance issues, including voting rights, the composition of the General Body and Executive Committee, athlete representation, tenure norms and powers of various committees.
The battle lines have effectively been drawn even before Sunday’s meeting, where Gita Mittal won’t be present but the observers appointed by her will watch the proceedings.
It has been learnt that both parties have agreed on the procedural part of the EGM after a meeting on Saturday. It has also been learnt that the petitioners had moved court seeking elections in AITA state bodies first but the court allowed the existing bodies to vote during election.
It may be mentioned that the court has allowed AITA to vote clause by clause on the amendments proposed by the Administrator.
Justice Mittal’s draft proposes a governance model aimed at reducing the dominance of state associations by limiting each state Affiliate to a single vote in the General Body, increasing athlete representation and introducing several structural safeguards.
In contrast, the AITA is not favouring many such proposals, arguing they go beyond the mandate of the Sports Governance Act and dilute the role of the state associations.
State votes at the heart of dispute ======================= Perhaps the most contentious issue is voting rights.
The Administrator has proposed reducing every state aAffiliate’s voting strength from two votes to one while expanding representation for Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs). According to sources, AITA will oppose the move, arguing that state bodies represent millions of stakeholders and should continue to enjoy two votes each.
The AITA is also not in favour of giving voting rights to associate Affiliates and opposes making National Sports Board registration a pre-condition for voting, pointing out that the Board itself has not yet been constituted.
Executive Committee composition another flashpoint ================================== The two drafts also differ significantly on the structure of the Executive Committee.
Justice Mittal has proposed five seats for Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit, a cap on representation from any one state and additional representation for “state associations of distinction.” AITA is in favour of retaining only two SOM seats while arguing that additional reserved seats and state caps have no basis in the Act and could undermine democratic representation.
Women representation, tenure and age ========================== The Administrator has sought higher reservation for women in the Executive Committee and proposed stricter tenure and age restrictions for office-bearers.
The AITA wants to stick to what it calls the statutory minimum under the Sports Governance Act, retaining four reserved posts for women and keeping the upper age limit at 75 years, citing international practice within the International Tennis Federation.
It may be mentioned that NSG Act does not allow candidates beyond the age of 70.
Committees and governance ================== The federation has also opposed several proposals concerning the Ethics Committee, Dispute Resolution Committee and Athletes’ Committee.
AITA prefers retaining its own structures for the Ethics and Dispute Resolution Committees, arguing they are more consistent with the law and better suited to AITA’s functioning.
Sunday’s meeting assumes significance ======================= The EGM assumes added significance because the constitutional amendments have to be considered clause-by-clause following directions of the Delhi High Court, which had appointed Justice Mittal as Administrator while allowing the elected Executive Committee to continue handling day-to-day affairs.
How the General Body votes on the competing proposals could determine not only AITA’s future governance structure but also the roadmap for conducting elections under the new legal framework.
Former President Anil Khanna’s presence at EGM ============================== Anil Khanna, who was at AITA helm and called the shots for a considerably long period, will be present as a nominee of the Bihar association. He was vice president of the association till 2023.
Interestingly, Khanna had nothing to do with Bihar, and has been a president of the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) in his career.
Bihar Tennis Association president Akhuri Bishwadeep said Khanna was an “advisor” to them and there was nothing wrong in nominating him.
“Mr Khanna has always guided us. Major governance changes are to be discussed in EGM. All states will have to adopt changes, so we wanted somebody to understand and guide us for future action. I will also be there,” Bishwadeep, who has held the post of AITA CEO in the past, told PTI.
In the run up to the EGM, the AITA Trust and its functioning has also come under the scanner.
“This is irrelevant matter. The court has asked the Administrator to amend the constitution and conduct elections. Anything beyond that is irrelevant to the day,” said an AITA official.
Background ========= The constitutional exercise stems from the litigation surrounding AITA’s 2024 elections, which were challenged before the Delhi High Court by former Davis Cup captain Somdev Devvarman and former doubles player Purav Raja.
While declining to dissolve the elected Executive Committee, the court appointed Justice Gita Mittal as Administrator to oversee the process of bringing the federation’s constitution in line with the National Sports Governance Act before fresh elections are held.
Over the past several months, Justice Mittal held consultations with stakeholders, including players and administrators, before circulating a draft constitution.
The Executive Committee subsequently prepared its own draft, leading to two competing versions that will now be placed before the General Body. PTI APS APS AH AH
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