Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, has been linked to an alleged multi-crore land scam in Pune's Mundhwa area.
As per the allegations that have surfaced, 40 acres of Mahar Vatan land belonging to the government, worth ₹1,800 crore, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Parth Pawar is a partner, for ₹300 crore, and the stamp duty of ₹21 crore on it was waived.
Inspector General of Registration Ravindra Binwade said that they have constituted a high-level committee to find out how the government land was sold to a private firm and to ascertain whether the exemption was given as per the norms.
"The documents submitted to claim the exemption will be checked. The committee will also see what sort of documents were produced during registration. But as an immediate action, we have suspended the sub-registrar because, if it is government land, the registration should not have taken place," he added.
Serious issue, says Fadnavis
Talking to reporters, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a probe has been ordered into the allegations of irregularities in the land deal.
"Prime facie, the issue looks serious. I've sought all information concerning the case from the relevant departments. Orders have been given to conduct a probe. I can speak about it and the action to be taken after getting all the details," Fadnavis said.
"I don't think Ajit Pawar would back his son if irregularities are found in the matter," he added.
Opposition parties react
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve claimed that the land bought by the private company is worth ₹1,800 crore. He said the company passed a resolution on April 22 to set up an IT park and submitted a proposal to the government despite "having a capital of ₹1 lakh." Danve also alleged that the transaction was completed in just 27 days, and the Industries Department waived the stamp duty. "Earlier, Ajit Pawar said that people want everything for free. If that's the case, why do they want it (the land) for free?" he asked.
Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial inquiry into the land deal, claiming that it was done in violation of the law. "The purchase of land by the company of Parth Pawar, son of Deputy Chief Minister 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. The transaction should be cancelled, and action must be taken against whoever is responsible in this case," Wadettiwar said.
NCP-SP national spokesperson Anish Gawande questioned whether this was a tactic by the BJP to put pressure on Ajit Pawar and break his party. "The CM has ordered an inquiry into the Parth Pawar land matter. We support any action that brings transparency. But where is the same urgency when allegations involve BJP ministers? Why are ICE (Income Tax, CBI, and ED) used only against Opposition leaders and allies, never against those in the ruling party?" Gawande said. “Rohit Pawar has already said that the BJP is trying to poach MLAs ahead of 2029. Is this inquiry yet another tactic to put pressure on Ajit Dada and break the NCP (Ajit Pawar)? Maharashtra deserves fairness, not investigations used as political weapons," he added.
‘We have been cheated’
The Free Press Journal spoke to the original landowners, who claimed they had been deceived.
Sanket Gaikwad, a victim, said, "This property is under the custody of the government, but it is in the name of our ancestors. We have been cheated. In 2006, the then collector grabbed our land by saying that we weren't doing any farming here."
Somnath Gaikwad, another victim, continued, "This land was allotted in 1895 to our ancestors. We are the owners of around three acres of land in the area. We were very poor and helpless. In the hope of getting our land back, we gave the power of attorney to a builder, Shital Tejwani, in 2006. She promised us that she would fight for us and take back the land from the government. However, we were not aware that our land had been sold. When our uncle from Mulshi was brought to Pune and was forced to sign an agreement for just ₹10,000, we got to know about the deal."
Chetan Gaikwad, also a victim, urged the government to investigate the matter fairly. "We are poor people and cannot fight against the builders and politicians. We hope that the government will provide justice to us."
