Punjab tennis secretary quits amid financial irregularities allegations

In a development with major implications for the All India Tennis Association (AITA), interim committee treasurer Dinesh Arora has resigned as secretary general of his home state association, the Punjab State Lawn Tennis Association (PSLTA), following allegations of financial irregularities.Arora’s resignation came during an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the PSLTA in Amritsar on Thursday (Oct. 29, 2026), where a proposal to remove him from office was the principal agenda item.The development followed a letter written earlier this year by senior vice-president Karanbir Singh Osahan to president Anirudh Gupta, highlighting complaints raised by finance secretary Deepak Mittal regarding Arora’s “acts and omissions” in his “fiduciary capacity”.Osahan had also questioned Arora’s nomination to represent the PSLTA on the AITA executive committee and his subsequent election as treasurer of the national federation, alleging that Arora had not received authorisation from the state association for the same.Subsequently, a group of PSLTA office-bearers filed a complaint with the Amritsar police commissioner, seeking registration of an FIR against Arora for “criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal misappropriation and embezzlement of association funds and government grants … and criminal conspiracy”.Faced with strong opposition, Arora pre-empted his removal by stepping down during Thursday’s EGM.“Mr Dinesh Arora has resigned as Secretary General amid opposition from a majority of members to his continuation in office during the pendency of a criminal complaint against him before the Commissioner of Police, Amritsar,” the PSLTA said in a statement.“Mr Arora, who also serves as Treasurer of the interim committee of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), has been asked to resign from that position with immediate effect, in view of the pending criminal complaint and concerns regarding his continuation in sports administration while the matter remains under examination,” the PSLTA added.“As part of the steps towards transparency and accountability, an independent forensic audit of the PSLTA’s financial affairs shall be undertaken and completed within the next 30 days.“Mr Karanbir Singh Osahan has been appointed Secretary of the PSLTA.”‘AITA INTERIM COMMITTEE HAS TO BE DISSOLVED’Following the development, sports lawyer Prasang Raheja called for the dissolution of the AITA interim committee.“Meaningful reform cannot remain confined to the state level. It is time for the AITA Interim Committee to be dissolved with immediate effect,” Raheja said in a press release.“Interim arrangements must not become a substitute for accountable administration.“Indian tennis requires structural reform, independent financial scrutiny and a governance framework that commands the confidence of its stakeholders.“The present moment offers an opportunity to address the systemic issues affecting the administration of the sport.“Accountability, transparency and players’ interests must come first. The time has come for decisive institutional reform in Indian tennis.”