Sports lawyer calls for appointment of ad-hoc panel to oversee Chandigarh tennis

The sports lawyer who has been leading the push for systemic reforms in Chandigarh tennis has called for an ad-hoc committee to govern the sport in the union territory.Prasang Raheja, who has been the face of a collective that has highlighted many alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) over the past couple of years, said such an ad-hoc committee was imperative until a national sports code-compliant administrative body was put in place."Constitution of an ad hoc committee for Chandigarh tennis has become necessary in the interest of players, parents, coaches and the larger tennis community. Such a committee can help restore transparency, revive national ranking tournaments, ensure fair opportunities for players and bring confidence back into the system until a proper and Sports Code-compliant administrative structure is established," Raheja said in a statement shared with The Times of India.Raheja's call comes after the Chandigarh Administration last September terminated the lease of the tennis stadium in Sector 10 to CLTA following a series of allegations relating to governance and concerns were raised regarding transparency and management of the facility in question.Subsequently, the stakeholders approached the Union minister for sports, seeking his intervention to get the CLTA de-affiliated from the All India Tennis Association (AITA) over alleged governance and administrative failures.The national federation itself going through a churn with the Delhi High Court, hearing a writ petition filed by former Davis Cup players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja in September 2024, earlier this month appointed an interim administrator to oversee the process of the AITA becoming compliant with the National Sports Code.The court also allowed the results of AITA elections to be declared and the new office-bearers to take charge while assisting the administrator, Justice Gita Mittal, in the federation becoming code-compliant.Raheja said: "On behalf of stakeholders and the Chandigarh tennis community, I have also sought a meeting with Honourable Justice Gita Mittal to discuss immediate interim measures for Chandigarh tennis and protection of player interests during this transition period."