Sachin Tendulkar & Real Estate: Controversies In The Name Of God

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, also called the God of Cricket, recently met Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar seeking help over a land trouble faced by his friend, Sanjay Narang, for a mountain resort he was constructing in Mussoorie

The property, located at Landour's cantonment area, is the cause of a controversy, as any construction in Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) establishments (cantonment areas) is said to be illegal.

DRDO sent a complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleging “fraud and corruption” had taken place in various properties in the cantonment area and that this could be “bigger than the Adarsh scam”.

While Tendulkar has confirmed that he met minister Parrikar, according to a statement released by the cricketer's spokerperson, he does not have any “economic interest” in the Landour cantonment property. Besides, Parrikar has made no move on the request made by Tendulkar.

This is not the first time that Tendulkar is finding himself in the middle of a controversy related to real estate. PropGuide lists the real estate controversies involving Tendulkar's name:

A house for Mr Tendulkar

There was a controversy when Tendulkar moved to his Bandra house in Mumbai, back in 2011. It was said that the cricketer didn't have the permit to move into his new five-storey abode. A fine of Rs 4.75 lakh was also imposed on him by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as he didn't have an Occupancy Certificate.

Stumped by his endorsement

In May this year, Sandeep Kurhade, a Pune-based laboratory technician announced that he was going on an indefinite hunger strike outside Sachin Tendulkar's house. This was because Tendulkar was the brand ambassador of a real estate developer that apparently cheated Kurhade. According to Kurhade, the company cheated him and paid Rs 20 lakh for an ancestral land in Ambegaon, Budruk, near Pune, while the cost of the property should have been at least ten times higher. In a letter written to the additional commissioner of police (western region), Kurhade had stated that he and his family would camp outside Tendulkar's residence hoping that the cricketer would come to their aid.

Dragged for publicity?

Another real estate controversy that had Tendulkar's name did not directly involve the batsman. In 2011, a piece of news that was doing the rounds claimed that the Master Blaster was planning to invest in a Bengaluru-based real estate project near Kolar. It was said that Tendulkar was close to buying a Rs 1,200-crore villa in this project. Later, however, it turned out that it was a promotional gimmick by the developer to grab eyeballs. The developer was trying to sell the fact that the cricketer had made a brief visit to the golf course in this project.