Lovish Chauhan
North News
Chandigarh, September 25
The Delhi High Court has declined to postpone the All India Tennis Association (AITA) elections scheduled for September 28 but has ruled that the results will be withheld until further review. The elections were challenged by former tennis players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja, who argued that the process violates the National Sports Development Code.
“The executive committee should not have more than 25 members for a national sports federation, as is the case with AITA, said senior counsel Rahul Mehra. “The district and state associations that form the AITA’s electoral college were also failing to comply with these legal requirements, rendering the entire electoral process invalid,” he added. Mehra also pointed out that the current AITA secretary, who is over 70, is ineligible to contest.
“We are not staying for the elections, as they require extensive preparation. However, if the election process is carried out in defiance of existing directives, the office bearers will be restrained from functioning, and the election may be annulled,” the court stated.
