AITA awaits court's decision before acting on molestation & age-fraud charge

NEW DELHI: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has asked for an explanation from Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) on the topic of a junior player being allegedly molested by five players and of them being allegedly overage. However, it will have to wait until the court pronounces its judgement on the topic before taking any action on the issue, said AITA Secretary General Hironmoy Chatterjee.

"We have spoken to (CLTA) and asked them to explain the situation," Chatterjee told IANS. "Once we hear from them we will discuss it and since the matter is sub judice, we will wait for the court's final decision.

"Let the court verify all the papers and give a clear verdict based on which we will take action. We have asked an explanation of what happened, let that come in and we will wait for the court's decision."

When asked if AITA would be using this as a trigger to crack down on the larger issue of age-fraud that has plagued the sport in the country since decades, Chatterjee said, "We don't appreciate fudging of age or any indiscipline, we cannot support that. But unless we are totally sure about it we can't take any action. We will definitely try to do whatever is required."

Chatterjee said that the system in place has been tried and tested for many years. IANS

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