How Did Pune Authorities 'Shield' Ajit Pawar’s Son Parth In Mundhwa Mahar Vatan Land Deal Case?

Pune: Political circles in Pune went full guns blazing on Thursday when Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son Parth Pawar's name was involved in an alleged shady deal of the Mahar Watan land in Mundhwa. The land in question, a 40-acre parcel of government-owned unsalable land, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Parth Pawar is a partner. The land was sold at around Rs 300 crore, much less than its reported market value of Rs 1,800 crore, and also, the company didn't pay stamp duty on the land transaction worth Rs 6 crore.

Two criminal cases have been registered against Digvijay Amar Singh Patil, also one of the partners in Amadea Enterprises LLP and cousin of Parth Pawar -- one of them at Bavdhan Police Station, which was registered late Thursday night, and the other at Khadki Police Station, which was registered in the wee hours of Friday.

Despite almost everyone involved in this case being booked, there is a twist. Parth Pawar's name has not been taken as an accused in either case, nor is the Revenue Department of Maharashtra alleging anything against him. Though the deals in which his company was involved have been determined to be shady by both the revenue and police officials.

How Is Parth Pawar Allegedly Involved In This?

Parth Pawar is a registered partner in Amadea Enterprises Limited along with Digvijay Patil. Since he is a partner in the buying firm, he is seen as one of the beneficiaries and a responsible party in this transaction. Parth, being the son of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, is also accused of inflicting political pressure. The opposition across the state has alleged that the land transaction had quick approval of the sale deed, the land was sold at an undervalued rate, and a massive waiver of stamp duty (up to Rs 21 crore, as speculated) happened, which is highly irregular in a property transaction.

Also, according to the police, the land is classified as "Mahar Watan" land, which is government-owned and legally requires prior permission from the state government for sale or transfer. Critics allege that the transaction was facilitated or fast-tracked due to the immense political influence associated with the Pawar family name. Parth Pawar, however, speaking to the media, has denied these allegations, saying he hasn't done anything wrong.

Police & Revenue Officials Ignored Parth's Name In Cases

A case was registered on Thursday night at Bavdhan Police Station within Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC) after Joint District Registrar Santosh Hingane filed a complaint. Digvijay Amar Singh Patil, Sheetal Kishanchand Tejwani (power of attorney holder for sellers), and Ravindra Balkrushna Taaru (suspended sub-registrar) were named in this case. The FIR is primarily focused on fraud, cheating, criminal breach of trust, and evasion of stamp duty. It's said in the FIR that the accused conspired to execute the sale deed without paying the mandatory stamp duty worth approximately Rs 6 crore.

When asked about why the case was not registered against Parth Pawar, Pimpri-Chinchwad Zone 2 DCP Vishal Gaikwad said, "The FIR was registered based on the content of the complaint received from the IGR official. The complaint focused on those who were physically present and directly executed the fraudulent act during the registration." Complainant Santosh Hingane, speaking to the media, said the same, that for him these three are the only ones in question because they are the ones who carried out the deal in person.

Another case was registered in Khadki Police Station within the Pune City Police Commissionerate on Friday morning, where nine people were named. It also included Digvijay Patil and a suspended tehsildar. Pune Sub Divisional Officer Pravina Borade filed the complaint. The Bopodi case alleges that Amadea Enterprises LLP's partner, in collusion with a suspended Pune City Tehsildar and others, fraudulently dealt with a parcel of government-classified land, causing financial loss to the state.

Even in this case, the police managed to conveniently leave out the name of Parth Pawar. Speaking to the media, Pune City Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar avoided taking the name of Parth Pawar when asked about it by the reporter. "This case has been forwarded to the Economic Offences Wing, and further investigation is ongoing. Whatever comes forward in the investigation, we will update," said Kumar. Both the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad police forces have refused to acknowledge Parth Pawar's involvement in the alleged scam.

Maha Vikas Aghadi's Attacks On Ruling Parties

Speaking to reporters in Marathwada on Thursday, Uddhav Thackeray, chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), said, "Us and them used to fight in politics, but unknown to all, their children stole the land. This entire matter is a major scam, and the Maharashtra government owes an explanation."

Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar was one of the first people to speak about the alleged scams in Pune. "The purchase of land by the company of Parth Pawar, son of Deputy CM and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar, must be investigated in a transparent manner. This is government land, and it was sold without any decision from the Revenue Department in this matter."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said, "Parth Pawar's company Amadea, which has a share capital of just ₹1 lakh, was able to purchase such high-cost land. This scam should now be probed. Under which rule did the Directorate of Industries accept the proposal of a company submitting such a proposal without any experience and waive the stamp duty? Why did the entire transaction happen in 27 days?"

Meanwhile, NCP-SP has also demanded questions and accountability from Parth and Ajit Pawar. But NCP-SP Baramati MP Supriya Sule, who is the aunt of Parth Pawar, said that she trusts her nephew and she is sure he won't do anything wrong.

Mahayuti Defends Their Prodigal Son

When reporters surrounded Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis with tough questions, the CM maintained composure and diplomacy. He said, "The preliminary information seems serious. I have requested all pertinent details regarding the case. Orders have been given to conduct a probe. If there is any irregularity, very strict action will be taken against it."

Parth Pawar's father, DCM Ajit Pawar, was questioned in a similar way, but Ajit Pawar defended himself, saying, "I am not even remotely connected to this land deal. I had already clarified that I will not tolerate any wrongdoing. I have never called any officer to benefit any of our relatives or any party worker. When your children grow up, they do their own business. The Chief Minister should definitely enquire into the matter and find the truth behind it. All the rules should be followed, and no one should flout the rules."

DCM Eknath Shinde, who visited Shirur tehsil to meet the families of deceased people in leopard attacks, was also asked the question. He refrained from answering the journalists' questions, saying, "What is the situation? What are you asking? People are dead here, no politics."

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, when asked about why Parth Pawar is not named in the police report, told the media, "He may have stakes in the company, but the FIR names those who actually signed the papers during registration. Parth Pawar was not physically present at the sub-registrar's office when the documents were signed."