Delhi High Court Issues Interim Directions For Amendment Of All India Tennis Association Constitution, Directs Fresh Elections By September

The Court directed the Interim Executive Committee, the Court-appointed Administrator and the General Body of the AITA to complete the amendment process within a fixed timeline, culminating in fresh elections to the Executive Committee by 30 September 2026.

The directions were passed with the consent of all parties and without entering into the merits of the rival challenges pending before the Court concerning the governance and elections of the AITA.

A Division Bench of Justice Tejas Karia and Justice Madhu Jain, "having considered the proposal of both sides and with the consent of the Parties, without going into the merits of the present Appeals", accordingly directed that "the Interim Executive Committee of the AITA shall examine the draft amendments proposed by the learned Administrator to the Constitution / Bye-Laws of the AITA and submit its suggestions, comments, objections, modifications, amendments, additions or deletions by providing a brief reasons and justification of the same on or before 25.06.2026”.

The Bench further added: “Upon completion of the amendment process, elections to the Executive Committee of the AITA shall be conducted in accordance with the amended Constitution / Bye-Laws, the Sports Act, and the Sports Governance Rules, on or before 30.09.2026”.

Senior Advocate Avi Singh appeared for the AITA, while Senior Advocate Gautam Narayan and CGSC Nidhi Raman appeared for the respondents.

Background

The appeals arose from a common judgment passed in proceedings concerning the governance of the All India Tennis Association and the conduct of its elections.

The AITA challenged the appointment of Justice (Retd.) Gita Mittal as Administrator and the powers vested in her under the impugned judgment. On the other hand, Somdev Kishore Devvarman and Purav Mukul Raja challenged the recognition granted to the Executive Committee elected in September 2024 and its continuation as an Interim Executive Committee.

The dispute arose against the backdrop of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 and the National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026. The parties differed on the legality of the 2024 elections, the extent of compliance required under the new statutory framework and the role of the Administrator in the affairs of the AITA.

During the hearing, the Court was informed that the International Tennis Federation had communicated its position regarding compliance with the Sports Act and Sports Governance Rules and that amendments to the AITA Constitution and Bye-Laws were required within the timelines prescribed under the statutory framework.

Court's Observations

The Court noted that the appeals raised substantial questions of law. However, having regard to the communications issued by the International Tennis Federation and the Ministry concerning compliance with the Sports Act and Sports Governance Rules, it considered it necessary that amendments to the Constitution and Bye-Laws of the AITA be undertaken expeditiously.

The Bench recorded that the Court-appointed Administrator had already circulated a draft of the proposed amendments to stakeholders and invited comments and suggestions.

The Court observed: "We were informed that the learned Administrator has on 25.05.2026 has circulated draft of the suggested amendments to the Constitution / Bye-Laws to all stakeholders with a request to provide suggestions by 01.06.2026 in a column provided in the draft."

The Bench further noted that, without prejudice to their respective rights and contentions, both sides had expressed willingness to arrive at a workable solution in the interests of the AITA and its athletes.

The Court recorded the submission of the AITA that it was agreeable to conducting fresh elections after amendment of its Constitution and Bye-Laws in conformity with the Sports Act and Sports Governance Rules.

The Court observed: "Learned Senior Counsel for the AITA, without prejudice to its rights and contentions and upon instructions, submitted that the AITA is agreeable to holding fresh elections for appointment of its Executive Committee after amendment of its Constitution / Bye-Laws in conformity with the Sports Act and the Sports Governance Rules, in the best interests of the AITA and its athletes."

The Court also noted that Somdev Kishore Devvarman and Purav Mukul Raja had agreed to a process whereby comments and objections submitted by the Interim Executive Committee would be considered by the Administrator after hearing the parties.

Recording the consensus, the Court directed the Interim Executive Committee to examine the draft amendments proposed by the Administrator and submit suggestions, comments, objections, modifications, additions or deletions, together with reasons, on or before 25 June 2026. The Administrator was directed to consider those suggestions, hear the Interim Executive Committee and finalise the proposed amendments by 15 July 2026.

The Court further directed the Administrator to prepare a consolidated draft incorporating all comments and suggestions. Where any suggestion was not accepted, the Administrator was directed to record reasons for disagreement and place the same before the General Body.

The Bench ordered that an Extraordinary General Meeting be convened on or before 31 July 2026 for consideration of the proposed amendments.

The Court directed: "The members of the General Body shall deliberate upon and vote on the proposed amendments clause by clause, and the decision on each proposed amendment, together with reasons for its acceptance, rejection or modification, shall be duly recorded in the minutes of the meeting."

Taking note of the urgency of the matter and the statutory timelines, the Court dispensed with the minimum notice period prescribed under the existing Constitution and Bye-Laws for convening the Extraordinary General Meeting.

The Bench also clarified that State Tennis Associations affiliated with the AITA would be entitled to vote both at the Extraordinary General Meeting and in the forthcoming elections, irrespective of their compliance status under the Sports Act and Sports Governance Rules at the time of voting.

The Court further directed that elections to the Executive Committee be conducted after completion of the amendment process and strictly in accordance with the amended Constitution and Bye-Laws, the Sports Act and the Sports Governance Rules.

Additionally, the Bench directed that the newly elected Executive Committee must ensure compliance by affiliated State Associations with the Sports Act, Sports Governance Rules and applicable International Charters on or before 31 December 2026.

The Court also clarified that any decision taken by the General Body concerning the proposed amendments would remain subject to the outcome of the pending appeals.

Conclusion

Holding that the amendment process required urgent completion in view of the timelines prescribed under the Sports Act and Sports Governance Rules, the Delhi High Court issued a detailed framework for amendment of the AITA Constitution and Bye-Laws and directed that fresh elections to the Executive Committee be conducted on or before 30 September 2026.

The Court further directed strict compliance with the timelines stipulated in its order and listed the appeals for further hearing on 14 August 2026.

Cause Title: All India Tennis Association v. Somdev Kishore Devvarman & Ors. connected with Somdev Kishore Devvarman v. Union of India (Neutral Citation: 2026:5158-DB)

Appearances

Appellants: Senior Advocate Avi Singh with Advocates Akshit Pradhan, Parth Goswami, Tanvi Anand and Divyansh Agrawal.

Respondents: Senior Advocate Gautam Narayan with Advocates Asmita Singh, Trisha Chandran and Tushar Srivastava, Nidhi Raman, CGSC, with Akash Mishra and Jitendra Kumar Tripathi, Government Pleader.

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