AITA sets 70-year upper age limit for Executive Committee members

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) voted at an Extraordinary General Meeting in Bengaluru on July 26 to cap the upper age limit for its Executive Committee members at 70, the association announced on Friday in an internal communication from interim president Chintan Parikh.

The EGM was convened to adopt a new constitution and exposed sharp divisions over whether to retain the 70-year ceiling prescribed by the National Sports Governance Act or to raise the limit to 75 by invoking the International Tennis Federation’s constitution, which is silent on an upper age cap. The vote at the meeting was close and the final result was withheld until full scrutiny; Parikh’s communication revealed 25 votes in favour of keeping the limit at 70 and 22 for raising it to 75. Under the adopted provision, a prospective Executive Committee candidate must be under 70 years of age on the date of filing the nomination but may serve a full four-year term even if they turn 70 during that term.

The eligibility clause means the association will not be able to reinstate Anil Khanna to the Executive Committee, as he is 73 years old. The communication also notes that interim president Chintan Parikh will reach the age of 70 in the near future.

The AITA must finalise and submit the revised constitution to the Delhi High Court before the next hearing in the case on August 14. The association is also required to hold fresh elections under the new constitution by the deadline of September 30.