The All India Tennis Association is yet to elect its new president after Anil Khanna has vacated the post two months back. Image Source: huntnews.in[/caption]Internet Desk: The All India Tennis Association is in no hurry to elect its new President. The parent body of Indian tennis has been derecognized by the Sports Ministry following its failure to comply with the rules set by the Ministry. According to AITA secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee, “The ambiguity in the rules set by Sports Ministry is creating the entire problem in electing a new President.”
The ministry has asked the tennis body to elect a new President within 90 days. The post has been lying vacant ever since Anil Khanna refused a second term despite being elected.
“He (Anil Khanna) was unanimously elected as the President of the association in 2012. He did not contest for the post of Secretary General, so where the question arrives of a cooling off period?” said the AITA secretary to xtratime.in .
Mr Chatterjee further added, “The rules do not say that the President has to serve a cooling off period. It's only for the Secretary General and Treasurer. The government guidelines are not clear. They must clarify first and it has to be same for everyone. They can't single us out.”
Khanna had refused the position at AITA's AGM in Indore citing ambiguity on the issue of cooling off period. The veteran administrator had been elected President after serving successive terms as Secretary General.
The Federation appointed Anil Khanna as Life President and elected other office bearers at the meeting on September 3.
The Sports Ministry however deems Khanna's first Presidential term against the rules under Sports Code but the tennis body contends it has not flouted any rule.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body for tennis, allows three consecutive terms as President.
Khanna was elected as AITA president for a four-year term (2012-2016) after serving as Secretary General for two consecutive terms.
The Sports Code requires a cooling off period of four years if an office-bearer seeks re-election for the same post after serving two consecutive terms.
AITA contends that Khanna did not seek re-election as Secretary General but was elected as President in June 2012 and there were no instructions that a person, who has served as secretary general, cannot become president without serving cooling-off period.
After becoming ITF Vice President, Khanna had offered to step down as AITA President last year but the Executive Committee stopped him.
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