COURT-APPOINTED ADMINISTRATOR Justice (Retd.) Gita Mittal has proposed a comprehensive restructuring of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), aimed at bringing the federation in line with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, while significantly strengthening athlete participation in its governance.
The proposed constitutional amendments, circulated ahead of an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), recommend a fundamental overhaul of AITA’s decision-making structure by introducing greater representation for Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs), reducing the size of the Executive Committee, and establishing new independent governance and ethics mechanisms. The proposals are expected to be debated and voted upon by AITA’s affiliated state associations before implementation.
The most significant reform is the inclusion of athletes in the federation’s highest decision-making bodies. Justice Mittal has proposed that five sportspersons of outstanding merit become members of a newly constituted 15-member Executive Committee, replacing the current executive body of around 25 members. Under the proposal, the Executive Committee would comprise:
* President
* Secretary General
* Treasurer
* Five Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit
* Two representatives from the Athletes Committee
* Five zonal representatives
The draft also mandates that at least one-third of the Executive Committee members must be women, including two women sportspersons of outstanding merit and one woman representative from the Athletes Committee.
The proposals also seek to reshape AITA’s Central Council, which functions as the federation’s general body. Currently, each affiliated state association is represented by two members. Justice Mittal has recommended reducing that representation to one member per state association.
To balance this reduction, eight sportspersons of outstanding merit, including four women, would become voting members of the Central Council, giving athletes a much stronger voice in federation governance. The draft also proposes including a nominee from the Paralympic Committee of India as a Council member.
The proposed constitution introduces a formal category of “Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit” and lays down a transparent process for their induction. Athletes would be selected through public applications and merit-based rosters, replacing discretionary appointments and ensuring compliance with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 and the Sports Governance Rules, 2026.
Justice Mittal has also proposed replacing AITA’s existing Athletes’ Commission with a statutory Athletes Committee. Unlike the present arrangement, the committee would:
* Be elected through an independent Electoral Officer alongside AITA elections.
* Have at least 50% women members.
* Send representatives directly to the Executive Committee without requiring approval from the AITA President.
Beyond structural reforms, the draft constitution recommends establishing permanent independent committees to strengthen accountability. Among the proposed bodies are:
* An independent Ethics Committee with jurisdiction over office-bearers, players, coaches, officials and affiliated associations.
* A permanent Dispute Resolution Committee replacing the existing Arbitration Committee, with disputes expected to be resolved within 90 days through arbitration or mediation.
* An Internal Complaints Committee under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, marking the first such statutory mechanism within AITA.
The reforms stem from the Delhi High Court’s intervention in AITA’s governance following the enactment of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. In April 2026, the High Court appointed Justice Gita Mittal as administrator to oversee the federation’s functioning, amend its constitution and bye-laws, and conduct fresh elections under the new legal framework after finding that AITA’s existing governance structure did not comply with the new law. The court later directed that the constitutional amendment process be completed before fresh elections are held, with the entire exercise scheduled to conclude by September 30, 2026.
