Cricket academy land diverted to builder: Petition

A PIL filed in the Bombay High Court has alleged that a piece of land in suburban Bandra, a prime locality, intended to be allotted to former Test cricketer Sandip Patil for a cricket academy, was eventually leased out to a trust controlled by a builder.

A PIL filed in the Bombay High Court has alleged that a piece of land in suburban Bandra, a prime locality, intended to be allotted to former Test cricketer Sandip Patil for a cricket academy, was eventually leased out to a trust controlled by a builder.

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The PIL is filed by one Nagesh Madvi of Hindu Swarajya Pratishthan. His lawyer Sanjiv Punalekar on Tuesday told reporters that Patil has not been made a party to the PIL.

While the PIL, filed in July, is pending, Punalekar held a press conference on Tuesday seeking CBI probe.

According to the PIL, Patil and former captain of women's cricket team Diana Eduljee applied for land in 2004 in the name of Culture Cricket Academy (CCA) which is not a registered body.

On August 24, 2004, state issued a letter of intention to CCA, without mentioning its promoters.

One Lata Shah got registered a trust with the same name in 2005, and on February 9, 2007, the land, measuring 20,045 sq feet was leased out to this trust, at the annual rent of Rs 98,104.

Further, Vimal Shah, managing director of Akruti Group of Builders, one of the trustees, applied to revenue minister

Narayan Rane in 2008, seeking permission to build a multi-sports complex on the plot, the PIL alleges. According to advocate Punalekar, Patil had nothing to do with this trust which got the land.

The PIL alleges that this is a common "modus operandi" whereby eminent personalities in various fields are first induced into making application for allotment. Later, they are excluded once the plot is allotted and it is finally diverted to a builder.