TTFI suspends secretary general Kamlesh Mehta with immediate effect

Internal administrative differences are brewing within the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) once again, leading to multiple meetings being convened by different groups of state associations in recent weeks.

In a recent development, TTFI suspended its Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta after a resolution was passed against him at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in New Delhi on Wednesday.

At the same meeting, Yatin Tipnis, Secretary of the Maharashtra State Association, was declared the new Secretary General.

According to federation sources, several state units had raised concerns over the absence of an AGM and delays in announcing the national tournament calendar for the current season.

"Traditionally, national championships and key domestic events are completed before December. But this season no official announcements were made until late January," a source told The Bridge on Thursday.

In a letter dated January 6, TTFI President Meghna Ahlawat called for an AGM on January 28, stating: "Despite the circulation of the proposed agenda points a few days ago and a formal request to the Secretary General to convene the Executive Committee Meeting and the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, no response has been received from Mr Kamlesh Mehta, nor has any official notice been issued for the said meetings."

The letter further noted that, in view of the alleged inaction and the need for time-bound decisions, particularly concerning the National Championships 2025–26, the President proceeded with convening the meeting, citing institutional responsibility.

Earlier this month, an Emergency Special General Meeting (SGM) was convened by Kamlesh Mehta in Mumbai. Federation officials confirmed that only 12 state associations attended the meeting.

"12 state associations attended the meeting, silver coins were distributed. In the SGM, dates and venues for three major tournaments were announced. Two events were allocated to Gujarat and one to Madhya Pradesh scheduled for March when most athletes have their exams," the source condemned.

Meanwhile, in the AGM a resolution was passed to remove Kamlesh Mehta from the post with immediate effect.

"The AGM was attended by 20 state units. The tournament dates and venue announced at the Mumbai SGM were cancelled, and Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh were confirmed as new hosts," the source confirmed.

In February 2022, the Delhi High Court had suspended TTFI and appointed the Committee of Administrators (CoA) with Gita Mittal as chairperson and Chetan Mittal and S D Mudgil as members to run the affairs.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manika Batra had then filed a petition in the Delhi High Court after being dropped from Asian Championships for not attending the national camp before the event.