Senior bureaucrat Praveen Mahajan on Thursday became the first woman President of the All India Tennis Association in more than five decades, replacing veteran administrator Anil Khanna who was forced to quit by the Sports Ministry.
The AITA appointed Mahajan, a former IRS officer, after its Executive Committee unanimously chose her for the post until the election is conducted. Mahajan thus became only the second woman to head the AITA — the first being Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, who held the position from 1955 to 1959. Mahajan was the first woman chief of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), the apex policy-making body for indirect taxes, and is now posted in Jodhpur as administrative member of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). AITA on Thursday held its Executive Committee meeting and as per its Constitution elevated Mahajan, one of the 10 Vice Presidents.
AITA will hold a Special General Meeting by March 31, 2017 to allow the members to elect the President for the remaining period ending in 2020.