Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat

2021-12-05T01:36:20Z

2620:6E:6000:3100:9539:1FDC:F7F1:7419:

{{Short description|Former First Gentleman of India and Former First Gentleman of Rajasthan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat
| image = Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, the First Gentleman of India.jpg
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| office = [[First Ladies and Gentlemen of India|First Gentleman of India]]
| term_label = In office
| term_start = 25 July 2007
| term_end = 25 July 2012
| president = [[Pratibha Patil]]
| predecessor = [[Usha Narayanan]]
| successor = [[Suvra Mukherjee]]
| spouse = {{Marriage|[[Pratibha Patil]]|1965}}
| citizenship = Indian
| office2 = [[Governor of Rajasthan|First Gentleman of Rajasthan]]
| termstart2 = 8 November 2004
| termend2 = 23 June 2007
| governor2 = [[Pratibha Patil]]
| predecessor2 = Raj Khurana
| successor2 = Jamila Kidwai
}}

'''Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat''' is an Indian Agriculturist and politician who served as the [[First Ladies and Gentlemen of India|First Gentleman of India]] as the husband of President [[Pratibha Patil]]. He formely served as the [[List of governors of Rajasthan|First Gentleman of Rajasthan]] & also as former [[Amravati|Mayor of Amravati.]]

== Early life ==
Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, who was then a lecturer in chemistry,<ref name="sundayindian">{{cite news |title=I had some misgivings about women in politics |date=27 December 2009 |work=The Sunday Indian |url=http://www.thesundayindian.com/article_print.php?article_id=8634 |accessdate=2016-01-14}}</ref> married Pratibha Patil on 7 July 1965. The couple have a daughter and a son, [[Raosaheb Shekhawat]], who is also a politician.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex Governor of Rajasthan |url=http://rajassembly.nic.in/PratibhaPatil.htm |publisher=Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Secretariate |accessdate=2016-01-11 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804130808/http://rajassembly.nic.in/PratibhaPatil.htm |archivedate=4 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=In Amravati, it's about taking revenge for 2009 polls |first=Kunal |last=Purohit |work=Hindustan Times |date=11 October 2014 |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/in-amravati-it-s-about-taking-revenge-for-2009-polls/story-CaoFU6bvG2TS6tYEUdCGTJ.html |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref>

Shekhawat was awarded a PhD from the [[University of Mumbai]] in 1972.<ref name="sundayindian" /> Prior to his wife's elevation to her presidential role, he had been principal of a college operated by his wife's Vidya Bharati Shikshan Sanstha foundation and also a former mayor of [[Amravati Municipal Corporation|Amravati]] (1991-1992). Like his wife, he is a member of the [[Indian National Congress]] party.<ref name="sundayindian" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Patil's husband to be occasional guest at Rashtrapati Bhavan |work=DNA |agency=PTI |date=24 July 2007 |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-patil-s-husband-to-be-occasional-guest-at-rashtrapati-bhavan-1111584 |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-07-19/india/27975570_1_jalgaon-maharashtra-assembly-political-party |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818230005/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-07-19/india/27975570_1_jalgaon-maharashtra-assembly-political-party |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 August 2013 |title=Pratibha Patil's Resume |date=19 July 2007 |work=[[The Times of India]] |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref> He is also an agriculturalist and a former [[Member of Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of Legislative Assembly]], being elected for the period 1985-1990 from the [[Amravati (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Amravati constituency]] in the [[Maharashtra State Assembly|Maharashtra state legislature]].<ref name="sundayindian" /><ref>{{cite news |work=The Indian Express |title=Politician, farmer, husband of the next President? |first=Dhaval |last=Kulkarni |date=15 June 2007 |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/politician-farmer-husband-of-the-next-president-/33751/ |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=State Elections of Maharashtra, 1985 |publisher=Election Commission of India |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1985/Statistical%20Report%20Maharashtra%201985.pdf |page=8 |accessdate=2015-01-11}}</ref> He lost his [[deposit (politics)|deposit]] in the 1995 contest for that constituency.<ref>{{cite news |date=10 October 2009 |title=Shekhawat faces the heat in Amravati |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/shekhawat-faces-the-heat-in-amravati/article158622.ece |first=Rahi |last=Gaikwad |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref>

Various accusations against Shekhawat and Patil emerged after the latter was nominated for the office of president.<ref name="TOI">{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Muck_refuses_to_move_from_Pratibha_path/articleshow/2155230.cms |work=The Times of India |date=28 June 2007 |title=Muck refuses to move from Pratibha path |first1=Pradeep |last1=Thakur |first2=Dhananjay |last2=Mahapatra |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref> Among these was the case of Kisan Dhage, a teacher in a school run by Vidya Prasarak Shikshan Mandal in [[Buldana district]], who committed suicide in November 1998. He left a note saying that he was committing suicide because he was tired of the mental harassment caused by Shekhawat, who was chairman of the institution, and four others. When the police registered the case as "accidental death", Dhage's wife appealed to the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Jalgaon Jamod, a [[tehsil]] in [[Buldana]] district. The JMFC ordered the police to start criminal proceedings.<ref>{{cite news |work=DNA |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1106842 |date=29 June 2007 |title=Fresh Scandal Plagues Pratibha |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/29/stories/2007062955211400.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001011303/http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/29/stories/2007062955211400.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 October 2007 |date=29 June 2007 |agency=PTI |work=[[The Hindu]] |title=Devisingh's plea to be heard on July 12|accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref> Shekhawat petitioned the courts seeking dismissal of charges of abetting Dhage's suicide. Two lower courts turned down this plea and by June 2007 the issue was pending in the [[Bombay High Court]].<ref name="TOI" /> A judge at that court dismissed the charges against Shekhawat in 2009 on the grounds that there was no proof of direct involvement, although one of his co-accused remained subject to the proceedings.<ref>{{cite news |title=High court relief for Prez's husband |first=Vaibhav |last=Ganjapure |date=1 February 2009 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/High-court-relief-for-Prezs-husband/articleshow/4057945.cms |work=The Times of India |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref>

In 2009, a court ruled that Shekhawat had colluded with five relatives and local officials to illegally transfer into his ownership {{convert|2.5|acre|ha}} of land in [[Chandrapur]] belonging to a [[Dalit]] farmer. This was one of several allegations of corruption and irregularities to emerge during Patil's presidency in relation to her and her family.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Economic Times |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-02-11/news/28491475_1_land-grabber-farmer-loan |title=Her Excellency’s husband a land grabber? |date=11 February 2010 |accessdate=2016-01-11}}</ref>

== First Gentleman of Rajasthan(2004 - 2007) ==
Upon Shekhawat's Wife's Succession as the Governor of Rajasthan, he moved into Raj Bhavan, Jaipur succeeding as the First Gentleman of Rajasthan for 3 years .
==First Gentleman of India(2007 - 2012) ==
[[File:Barack and Michelle Obama are greeted by President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.jpg|thumb|[[Barack Obama|44th U.S. President Barack Obama]] and [[Michelle Obama|First Lady Michelle Obama]] are greeted by [[Pratibha Patil|President Pratibha Devisingh Patil]] and First Gentleman Devisingh shekawat.]]
On 25th July 2007 Shekhawat assumed the role of 1st First Gentleman of India upon Wife's Succession as the 12th & first women [[President of India]] for a Full 5 year term.

== References ==
{{commons category|Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat}}
{{reflist|1}}

== External links ==
*{{cite news |title=Embarrassing Choice: Scandals and mud-slinging have turned the presidential polls into an unseemly affair |first1=Prerana |last1=Thakurdesai |first2=Priya |last2=Sahgal |date=9 July 2007 |work=India Today |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/patil-the-outstanding-choice-for-presidentship/1/155553.html |accessdate=2016-01-11}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hon}}
|-
{{s-vac|last=[[Usha Narayanan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[First Ladies and Gentlemen of India|First Gentleman of India]]|years=2007–2012}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Suvra Mukherjee]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shekhawat, Devisingh Ramsingh}}
[[Category:Pratibha Patil]]
[[Category:Maharashtra MLAs 1985–1990]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:First Ladies and Gentlemen of India]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Corruption in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]
[[Category:People from Amravati]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

{{Maharashtra-INC-politician-stub}}

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Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat