AITA Elects New Office Bearers Amid Legal Controversy

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) elected new office bearers unopposed, but the results remain undisclosed due to a Delhi High Court directive into Sports Code violations. The court has asked for responses from AITA and the Sports Ministry and will hear the matter on October 14.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Saturday elected a new set of office bearers unopposed, but the results were not officially declared due to a directive from the Delhi High Court. The court is currently hearing a petition concerning Sports Code violations by the federation.

The AITA was scheduled to hold elections at its Annual General Meeting (AGM). However, voting was rendered unnecessary as the Returning Officer received only one nomination for each post.

The election saw the appointment of a new President, secretary general, treasurer, eight vice presidents, four joint secretaries, and 10 executive members. Rohit Rajpal, initially a candidate for the President, later withdrew his nomination. Former players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja had sought to halt the elections, alleging non-compliance with the Sports Code and the ineligibility of several candidates.

The Delhi High Court did not halt the elections but requested responses from AITA and the Sports Ministry. ''The Election shall remain subject to the outcome of the instant writ petition. Let the result of the Election be placed in a sealed cover by the Election Officer, meaning thereby, the result of the Election shall not be published,'' the Court said.

The case is scheduled for a hearing on October 14. Meanwhile, the outgoing and incoming teams will jointly manage the federation's affairs.

(With inputs from agencies.)