Pitch darkness will greet you if you happen to walk into the landmark Mohan Ahuja Stadium in Bistupur.

A leaking roof and cracked walls disembellish the nearly seven decade-old stadium, which in its glory days was host to top shuttlers in the likes of Prakash Padukone, Syed Modi, Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu.

The condition of the stadium is turning from bad to worse with no scope of its revival in the near future, thanks to a legal wrangle between the Jharkhand Badminton Association (JBA) and Tata Steel over custody of the venue.

The tin roof over the practice courts is riddled with holes, mirroring the condition of the reinforced cement concrete (RCC) cover over three wooden courts.

The stadium caretaker remains busy flushing out accumulated water when it rains heavily.

The tarpaulin cover arranged by JBA to prevent water from slipping through the tin roof two years ago has been blown away by the wind.

“The stadium cannot be revived as the case filed by us is pending in the local court. Neither party (JBA and Tata Steel) can do anything in this regard. We are very much aware about the condition of the stadium,” said JBA secretary K. Prabhakar Rao.

Speaking to The Telegraph Online, Rao, also joint secretary of Badminton Association of India (BAI), said the concrete roof over the wooden match courts has also started leaking. “The court may be rendered useless if immediate attention is not paid,” he added.

An official from the Tata Steel sports wing declined to comment on the issue.

The matter went to court when Tata Steel, which owns the stadium, had asked JBA to vacate it in September 2014

However, the JBA filed a title suit against Tata Steel at the local court with the plea that the venue had been leased out to it until December 2017.

In 2018, Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Limited (formerly JUSCO) disconnected electricity supply to the stadium for pending dues amounting to over Rs 50 lakh.

The JBA filed a case against Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Ltd deputy general manager (electrical) Manmohan Singh for illegally disconnecting power supply under the alleged influence of some of his “friends” who held a grudge against the shuttle outfit.

The JBA had also filed a defamation case against Singh, and one against the utility major in the local court.

With neither party inclined to budge an inch, the aspiring shuttlers are paying a heavy price.

The number of outstation trainees who used to hone their skills at Shuttle Zone run by national coach Sachin Kumar Rana at the stadium has come down.

Similar is the case with local players.

“I have stopped training at the stadium. The wooden courts have become slippery and lighting is also not up to the mark,” a local shuttler said.

People who play badminton for fitness’ sake presently use the venue.