The Sports Ministry on Wednesday suspended the recognition of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) over multiple governance-related concerns and asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc committee to administer the sport.
The decision followed an unsatisfactory response from the federation to a show-cause notice issued by the Ministry earlier this year. Delays in conducting elections, concerns over athlete welfare and failure to follow government directions were the main reasons mentioned.
TTFI Crisis: Two Factions and a Battle within
The TTFI has faced considerable distress in recent months. Its former Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta was suspended in January over alleged financial irregularities, a decision later quashed by the Delhi High Court.
But the current turmoil at the organization has been brewing for years. After the 2022 election, the two factions at the organisation were sharing their duties and personnel.
But things changed earlier this year, when an AGM decided to suspend Kamlesh Mehta. A source close to TTFI proceedings tells MyKhel that the Mehta decision was illegal and later the court also ordered TTFI to reinstate him.
“Suddenly, the Chautala group has started behaving against Kamlesh Mehta as General Secretary. Without giving any notice, without giving any reason, they suspended Kamlesh Mehta at the AGM. It was unconstitutional and illegal.”
Decisions taken without consultation
The federation also faced criticism after star paddler Manika Batra was excluded from the Asian Games squad, leading to questions over the selection process.
The TTFI, led by Meghna Ahlawat since 2022, is due to hold fresh elections this year but has yet to announce a clear schedule. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, tells this website that there have been many instances of mismanagement in the organization, who are working with consultants and imposing its own rules. The Manika Batra omission was one such of those things.
“If you want to change any government selection policy, if the player is affected, you must give three months time. Suddenly, they have changed the policy and implemented it immediately with immediate effect.”
Increase of Members in Selection Committee
The source also mentions that TTFI’s current regime increased its selection panel, going against the policy.
“The policy says a 7-member selection committee. But against the rules, they added two more and made it a 9-member panel. Everything was against the government’s role. Sandeep Gupta and Subrata Roy were added in the panel, which was illegal.”
The federation had previously faced suspension in 2022 following judicial intervention over governance and selection-related issues. With elections due before December, the source said the priority must now be “fair and free, transparent elections.”