8 state associations bring no-confidence motion against AITA President

Eight state tennis associations, affiliated with the All India Tennis Association, have proposed a no-confidence against President Anil Jain.

An Extra Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) has been called on September 28 in New Delhi.

Interestingly, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) has called the EGM on the day it is scheduled to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and conduct elections, the result of which can’t be declared and are to be submitted to the Delhi High Court in a sealed envelop.

Jain is facing charges of misusing the funds and traveling with his family abroad several times using the funds of AITA.

The state units that proposed the no-confidence motion are Assam, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura.

If the no-confidence motion is passed, Jain's tenure as the president of AITA will be over, and the first time in the history of Indian tennis that a federation president is removed in this fashion.

Jain was elected the AITA President unopposed in September 2020, replacing Praveen Mahajan. He served as AITA Vice President from 2016 to 2020.

However, Jain refuted any such claims and said that state units had opened the front against him because he advised them to follow the Sports Code during the upcoming elections.

“This EGM is illegal. A three-week notice is required to call any meeting. This meeting is null and void. I will take legal action. Clause 15 of the AITA constitution explains the process of calling meetings. You can’t send a notice on the 23rd of a month and call a meeting on the 28th," Anil Jain told PTI.

However, an official from the state associations said there are more allegations against Jain and it’s not an issue of following the Sports Code.

“This is the time to clean the system, this is the time to support the players and change the face of Indian tennis. We are united in this. We have a capable team to do it. You will see Indian tennis changing after these elections,” he said.

One of the state associations accused Jain of using his position in AITA for personal gains.

“Setting aside all the principles of good governance, he has used the AITA Trust for his hidden agenda by becoming a permanent trustee in his capacity instead of being in an ex-officio capacity,” a state association wrote to AITA on September 21.