Manika petition: HC suspends TTFI

Paddler Manika Batra on Friday welcomed the Delhi High Court’s order that suspended the Table Tennis Federation of India executive committee for six months following her petition, saying ill-treatment from the sport’s governing body in the country forced her to take the legal route.

Manika had filed a petition at the Delhi HC after she was not included in the team for the 2021 Asian Championships. The TTFI had excluded her as she did not attend the national camp prior to the event.

“I was forced to approach the hon’ble court when I was left with no other choice because I was subjected to undue pressure and ill treatment which put me into huge mental agony,” Manika said in a statement. She had also accused national coach Soumyadeep Roy of match fixing during the Olympic Qualifiers in Doha in March 2021.

The Delhi HC on Friday directed the appointment of an administrator to run the TTFI, saying that its faith was shaken in view of the sports body’s “sorry state of affairs”.

Justice Rekha Palli, who was dealing with the petition, said the report of the three-member committee showed that TTFI “safeguarded the interests of its officials” and that “instead of promoting the players, TTFI is dictating terms.”