JOIN US The Sports Ministry may derecognise All India Tennis Association (AITA) if its president Anil Khanna doesn’t step down by March 31.
The Ministry’s fresh diktat has come after it first voiced its objection to AITA’s election in October last. The ministry had granted AITA provisional recognition till March 31. Ministry is of the opinion that Khanna, who had served as AITA secretary-general for three successive terms (2000-2012), could not have been elected as the president without a cooling-off period.
Ministry returned to them on March 11 with a hardened stand. “We are simply following the directive of High Court. We don’t have any objections to other office bearers but the president. There has to be a cooling off period after two successive terms as secretary/treasurer, if one is seeking to become the president,” said a sports ministry official.
“But if they won’t agree, we will have to de-recognise AITA. We will ensure that players won’t have to suffer.” AITA has recently sent a list of 16 players as probables for the 2016 Rio Olympics for the government to give them financial backup.
A defiant AITA, on the other hand, stated that their elections have taken place as per the Sports Code. It also said that Sports Ministry is following the diktat of a High Court ruling on implementation of Sports Code and that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has already challenged its ruling in the Supreme Court.
The AITA said they had been requesting a meeting with ministry since October last and questioned why it never raised an issue when they held the election. “AITA is left with no other remedy except taking up this matter before the Hon'ble High Court where the MYAS had given this affidavit supporting AITA's election under oath as the matter is still subjudice and as per legal opinion this could be seen as contempt of court,” AITA secretary-general Bharat Oza said.
“AITA will also take up the matter before Hon'ble Court as to why AITA is being singled out as this illegal interpretation being done by MYAS will affect many more NSFS.”