First MS Dhoni, now Maria Sharapova: Tennis star named in FIR filed against Gurugram housing project

In 2016, Dhoni became a target of angry homebuyers for the delays in the completion of a housing project.

New Delhi: A Delhi court has ordered an FIR against Sharapova after a luxury housing project buyer in Gurugram filed a complaint that the project, which is endorsed by the Russian, never took off.

The court of chief metropolitan magistrate in North West Delhi has named Sharapova in the complaint list and has ordered an FIR against her and the companies Homestead Infrastructure Development Private Limited, Homestead Infrastructure Maintenance Private Limited and Homestead Arabic Homes Private and its directors.

A Moneycontrol report says that the homebuyer, Bhawana Agarwal (44), filed a complaint through her lawyer Piyush Singh and informed the court that the builders attracted buyers by advertising the project as ‘Ballet by Sharapova’.

“The project was to be completed within three years from the first payment in the year 2013, however, the respondent have failed to start any construction or development work even after three years from the date of the booking ie 12.4.2013. As per the agreement, the complete possession was to be handed over to the complainant on 12.4.2013. It is stated that complainant has now got to know that the accused did not even have the necessary approval, permissions or sanctions to start the project and it was premeditated conspiracy to collect money from innocent buyers,” the complaint states.

“If the averments of the complainant are to be believed, it shows that nothing has happened on the said project and alleged persons have no license or sanction for construction or development at the project, for which the complainant paid Rs 53.03 lakh. It is observed here that collection of evidence on the given facts is certainly beyond the control of the complainant. Hence, police investigation is required in the present case to unearth the real facts as to whether the company has taken any steps to handover the possession of the flat to the complainant," the court, presided by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Malik, observed.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, returned to action in April 2017 after serving a 15-month ban following a failed drug test from the 2016 Australian Open.

It will be yet another unpleasant India experience for Sharapova. In 2014, Sharapova incurred the wrath of Indian fans after she revealed that she has no idea who Sachin Tendulkar is. Outraged fans of the batting great filled her Facebook page with aggressive remarks.

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also faced an unwanted situation.

In 2016, Dhoni became a target of angry homebuyers for the delays in the completion of the housing project and forced him to quit as the brand ambassador of the Amrapali group.

Dhoni was the brand ambassador for the company for the last 6-7 years. The complaints from the residents of Amrapali’s Saphhire project in Noida had gone viral on Twitter, asking the cricketer to disassociate himself from the builder or force the company to ensure completion of pending work.

Dhoni's wife, Sakshi was summoned by the court in February 2016 regarding the case. She held 25 percent stake in the business venture with Amrapali group owner Anil Kumar Sharma.