Delhi High Court Urged to Oversee Table Tennis Federation

The Hon’ble Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport and the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) on a plea by a former player seeking suspension of TTIF’s status as a National Sports Federation and appointment of an Administrator to oversee the day-to-day functioning until it is in full compliance of National Sports Code. The writ petition further sought direction to TTFI to furnish detailed financial data and forensic audits on its website.

In June 2022, the High Court cracked the whip on the TTFI following allegations by another player, Manika Batra. A three-member committee was constituted, and gross discrepancies in the federation’s functioning were reported. Consequently, the court-appointed a Committee of Administrators (CoA) to anchor the federation in accomplishing its duties towards the well-being of sportspersons and the sport.

Eight months in, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Committee proposed the suspension of TTFI if elections were not held to ensure that democratically elected representatives were running the TTFI business. Meghna Ahlawat was then elected president of the federation, and former stalwart Kamlesh Mehta was elected secretary general. 

The TTFI has now appointed a former office bearer as CEO, which is allegedly against the National Sports Code. In a letter to the TTFI, the Sports Ministry asked it to “take appropriate action in the matter,” citing a circular to NSFs and IOA in 2022 that said ineligible outgoing office bearers returning as CEO of the federation were against the spirit of the Sports Code guidelines.