By Anoop Sharma
New Delhi [India], September 28 : All India Tennis Association (AITA) Secretary General Anil Dhupar said that the current elected body will continue functioning till October 14 and the the proposed no-confidence motion against All India Tennis Association (AITA) President Anil Jain has been withdrawn.
Eight state tennis associations had proposed to move a no confidence motion against Jain on Saturday.
Speaking to ANI in the national capital, the AITA Secretary General said that the next hearing in the Delhi High Court regarding the elections is on October 14, and till then, the current office bearers of AITA under Anil Jain's presidency will continue working.
"Today, we had an Extra Ordinary General body meeting. It was called for a very specific reason, the no confidence motion. But before the meeting, eight states who had moved the motion, withdrew the motion. Therefore, the no confidence motion moved by them got cancelled," he said.
"Now today, we will have an annual general meeting, which will have a formal agenda, including the election. The Delhi HC had given a direction that the election will take place, but the declaration of results will not be announced by returning officer, but will be given to the court in a sealed envelope. We will follow it" Dhupar said.
"The next date of hearing is on October 14, till then, no body will take their place. Till the envelope is opened by the court, no new body can take over," he said.
The motion of no-confidence moved by state tennis associations of Assam, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tripura and Gujarat was withdrawn.
A joint statement from all these associations addressed to Dhupar said, "We have put up no-confidence motion for which an extra-ordinary general meeting is being convened today. We request you to not proceed with the motion and hereby withdraw the same."
The Delhi High Court, on Tuesday, issued notice to AITA and the Centre on a petition challenging the AITA's upcoming election, claiming that these elections are being conducted in violation of the National Sports Code.
The plea filed by tennis players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja challenged the elections of the AITA, scheduled for today. The petition alleged that the AITA has committed multiple violations of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 (commonly known as the Sports Code).
The plea also claimed that the AITA has disregarded a prior judgment passed by a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court on August 16, 2022, additionally, the petition highlights a lack of compliance with the directions issued by the court in various matters concerning National Sports Federations (NSFs), including those governing their elections and functioning.
The petitioners argue that despite these violations, the Union of India, through the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, has failed to take any action against the AITA.
The Delhi High Court, while hearing the matter, has issued notices to the AITA and the Ministry and has made it clear that the upcoming election results will not be published until the court reviews the case further. However the Court refused to stay the election at this stage. The matter will be heard next on October 14.
The plea against the AITA elections highlights 18 alleged violations of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011. It stated that among the most significant violations mentioned in the plea are lack of seats for athletes in the Central Council/General Assembly of AITA. Absence of a mechanism for athletes to elect eminent sportspersons of outstanding merit to represent them in the Central Council/General Assembly. No reservation of seats for athletes in the Executive Committee. Failure to provide a mechanism for electing athletes from the Central Council/General Assembly to the Executive Committee, it stated.
The petitioners argued that these violations undermine the transparency and inclusivity mandated by the Sports Code. They contend that it is crucial for AITA and its constituent bodies to fully comply with the Sports Code to ensure proper governance and representation of athletes.
The plea requests that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports be directed to enforce compliance with the Sports Code before recognizing the AITA's legitimacy. It further suggests that fresh elections be held in a fair, transparent, and democratic manner only after the AITA becomes fully compliant with the requirements of the Sports Code.