The Delhi High Court has intervened in the upcoming All India Tennis Association (AITA) elections, scheduled for September 28th, following a petition filed by former Indian tennis players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja. The petitioners allege that the AITA is violating the Sports Code in its conduct of the election.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued notices to the AITA and the Central Government, seeking their responses to the petition. The court has directed that the election results will not be published until the outcome of the plea.
The petitioners’ counsel argued that the AITA is holding the election in a secretive manner, with no information available on its website. They contend that this violates the Sports Code and previous court rulings.
The court declined to stay the election at this stage but emphasized that if the election is found to be in violation of the Code, the elected office bearers will not be allowed to function. An independent entity may be appointed in their place.
“If the election process is conducted in defiance of the subsisting directions, the office bearers will be restrained from functioning. Then we will consider appointing someone as the ad hoc (body)…That election will be set aside,” the court stated.
The court has directed the petitioners to include the Returning Officer of the election as a party to the proceedings and has asked the respondents to file their replies. The matter will be heard again on October 14th.
The AITA’s alleged violation of the Sports Code has raised concerns about the transparency and fairness of the election process. The court’s intervention is a significant step towards ensuring that the election is conducted in accordance with the law.
