Yatharth Pandya, a former national-level table tennis player who built up an organisation, Sports Activist of India (SAI) a year ago with the purpose of fighting for paddlers' rights across the country raised their voice against the improper activities of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

The 33-year-old former paddler, presently the president of SAI has issued a legal notice the TTFI president, to the secretary and also to the Union Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs, requesting the intervention of the sports ministry to make solution.

The legal notice has urged TTFI to solve five key issues immediately. Among the five key issues, the important issue is to hold fair and free elections in the five posts that have been vacant in the Federation’s executive committee. 

Yatharth Pandya Pandya while speaking over the phone from Gujarat said, "The most important position that is vacant is the post of treasurer. The TFFI election took place on 5th December 2022 for the next four-year term.”

He added, “Then following a letter issued by Union sports ministry on 5th October 2023 Harish Kumar Kakkar and BB Subba were removed from their chairs as they had exceeded the five-year term limit. Additionally, P. Nagendra Reddy and Moirangthen Bapin Kumar vacated their positions in 2024. Since then TTFI has not yet conducted any election to fill up these posts, especially after the treasurer, Nagendra Reddy's departure different problems are coming up in TTFI functioning, and in most of the cases paddlers are suffering." 

In its legal notice, SAI mentioned the second crucial issue which is to follow the guidelines of the National Sports Code which has been violated by the TTFI. 

Yatharth Pandya mentioned, "The TTFI must follow the National Sports Code and ensure state associations incorporate the Model Election Guidelines provided in the Sports Code.”

The legal notice has brought another issue into the light that The EC of TTFI does not have 25% members with voting rights who are also prominent sports players. Clause 9.3 (xii) of the Sports Code states, “Includes sportsperson (say 25%) with voting rights in the management of NSFs.

However, Yatharth Pandya also sounded vocal on the discrimination of paddlers in selecting for the TOPs scheme for the 2024 Paris Olympics. When conveyed about the new policy of the TOPs scheme revealed by a top TTFI executive, Yatharth Pandya said, “Even if that is true then why not Poymantee Baisya and Ankur Bhattacharjee’s names should not be included in the scheme? Ankur has been the most consistent in both domestic and international competitions in recent times. If TTFI had thought of promoting potential upcoming paddlers looking forward to the future then Ankur’s name must have been there.” 

The top TTFI executive divulged that the TOPs scheme is now not only for those who will be representing the country in imminent major competitions. Looking forward to the future, potential players are also being nominated by the respective federations for the TOPs scheme.