• 1992: The 25,000-square feet of land next to Shekhawat’s college is reserved for “educational use.” Shekhawat is then the Mayor of the Amravati Municipal Corporation.

• November 8, 1996: Patil allocates Rs 36 lakh from her MPLADS scheme and writes to the Collector, Amravati, asking for a sports complex on this land.

• January 18, 1996: Collector grants administrative approval.

• July 1, 1997: In 1996, new MP is Sena’s Ananth Gudhe. Patil writes to Lok Sabha Speaker seeking directions against delay in project implementation “due to political reason.”

• 1998: Pratibha Patil and Abhiruchi Kala and Krida Mandal, a social organisation floated by Shekhawat’s trusted aide and a physical training teacher in his college M T Deshmukh, move the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court seeking directions that funds earmarked for the project shouldn’t be diverted and the project should come up on the chosen piece of land (adjacent to the college).

• August 25, 1999: High Court grants relief on the above counts — in other words, says the project site shouldn’t be changed and project funds should not be diverted.

• April 26, 2007: State govt allows leasing of land to Shekhawat’s Vidyabharati Shikshan Sanstha.

• May 4, 2007: Collector Jadhav issues administrative approval for the sports complex.

When contacted, Jadhav told The Indian Express that there was nothing wrong as “funds are not being given to Shekhawat’s institute and the government will be building and later owning the project.”

... contd.