diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/AccessControlLists.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/AccessControlLists.java
index 219625bd520..5883120ca47 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/AccessControlLists.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/AccessControlLists.java
@@ -259,7 +259,14 @@ public class AccessControlLists {
     Delete d = new Delete(userPermissionRowKey(userPerm));
     d.addColumns(ACL_LIST_FAMILY, userPermissionKey(userPerm));
     try {
-      t.delete(d);
+      /**
+       * We need to run the ACL delete in superuser context, to have
+       * similar authorization logic to addUserPermission().
+       * This ensures behaviour is consistent with pre 2.1.1 and 2.2+.
+       * The permission authorization has already happened here.
+       * See the TODO comment in addUserPermission for details
+       */
+      t.delete(new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(d)));
     } finally {
       t.close();
     }
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/TestAccessController.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/TestAccessController.java
index 481e4f78244..1f2724c77dc 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/TestAccessController.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/security/access/TestAccessController.java
@@ -3133,4 +3133,46 @@ public class TestAccessController extends SecureTestUtil {
     verifyAllowed(action, SUPERUSER);
     verifyDenied(action, USER_CREATE, USER_RW, USER_RO, USER_NONE, USER_OWNER, USER_ADMIN);
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testTableAdmin() throws Exception {
+
+    // Create a user with table admin permissions only
+    User userTableAdmin = User.createUserForTesting(conf, "table_admin", new String[0]);
+    grantOnTable(TEST_UTIL, userTableAdmin.getShortName(), TEST_TABLE, null, null,
+      Permission.Action.ADMIN);
+
+    AccessTestAction grantAction = new AccessTestAction() {
+      @Override
+      public Object run() throws Exception {
+        try (Connection conn = ConnectionFactory.createConnection(conf);
+            Table acl = conn.getTable(AccessControlLists.ACL_TABLE_NAME)) {
+          BlockingRpcChannel service = acl.coprocessorService(TEST_TABLE.getName());
+          AccessControlService.BlockingInterface protocol =
+              AccessControlService.newBlockingStub(service);
+          AccessControlUtil.grant(null, protocol, USER_NONE.getShortName(), TEST_TABLE, null, null,
+            false, Action.READ);
+        }
+        return null;
+      }
+    };
+
+    AccessTestAction revokeAction = new AccessTestAction() {
+      @Override
+      public Object run() throws Exception {
+        try (Connection conn = ConnectionFactory.createConnection(conf);
+            Table acl = conn.getTable(AccessControlLists.ACL_TABLE_NAME)) {
+          BlockingRpcChannel service = acl.coprocessorService(TEST_TABLE.getName());
+          AccessControlService.BlockingInterface protocol =
+              AccessControlService.newBlockingStub(service);
+          AccessControlUtil.revoke(null, protocol, USER_NONE.getShortName(), TEST_TABLE, null, null,
+            Action.READ);
+        }
+        return null;
+      }
+    };
+
+    verifyAllowed(userTableAdmin, grantAction);
+    verifyAllowed(userTableAdmin, revokeAction);
+  }
 }