Pune: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced on Friday that an alleged shady Mundhwa Mahar Watan land deal involving his son Parth Pawar has been cancelled. Pawar said that in one month, full details of the investigations being conducted in this case will come forward, and the state will be ready to go into an ‘All is Well’ mindset. But the Mundhwa Mahar Watan Land deal, which falls near Pune’s prime area, Koregaon Park, has sparked many questions in the minds of citizens of the city.
Amadea Enterprises LLP bought the 40-acre land parcel of the Mahar Watan land deal in Mundhwa on 19th May 2025. According to sources, Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, holds a majority stake in Amadea Enterprises LLP.
Along with Pawar, his cousin Digvijay Patil is also a partner. Amadea Enterprises has been involved in two shady deals recently, and a case has been registered with the police in both incidents. One case was registered at Khadak Police Station, while the other was registered at Bavdhan Police Station.
In both cases, authorities have focused the FIRs on the executives and government officials directly involved in the paperwork, including the power of attorney holder, sub-registrar, tehsildar, and partner who was physically present during the deal. They have been charged with fraud, cheating, and illegal land dealings, primarily causing financial loss to the state.
Parth Pawar's name has been notably absent from both FIRs, with police stating they registered complaints strictly based on the content received from officials. Investigation might result in a case being registered against Parth Pawar, claim police; however, critics say it's just a shallow statement, which holds no weight.
Questions Remain Unanswered
Despite Ajit Pawar claiming on Friday that in his political career, he has ‘never done anything wrong’ and himself assuring that the deal is cancelled and that the truth will come out in the space of one month, there are some questions still unanswered.
Q1. How was the sale deed registered if “not a single penny was paid”?
Ajit Pawar claimed yesterday that no harm was done in the deal, and it's being cancelled as no amount has been exchanged between the two parties. People questioned after this how the sale deed was registered if no money exchanged hands. But this is easy to answer. In a case registered at Bavdhan Police Station, it's said that the transaction was irregular and unlawful.
The land was government-owned and could not be legally sold without approval. Haveli Sub Registrar Rvindra Taaru registered the deed anyway. So, in simple words, the sale deed was improperly recorded on forged or altered documents, despite no payment being made to the actual owners. That's the case registered with Bavdhan Police.
Q2. Why was a stamp-duty waiver applied if no money was paid?
Police said that Amadea Enterprises claimed an exemption on stamp duty by falsely asserting an IT/data centre project. In fact, the company had applied for an IT park and obtained a Letter of Intent from the Industries Directorate. Based on that, the registration office waived the 7% stamp duty (about ₹21 crore).
Critics have pointed out that this was against the rules: the exemption was granted on a letter of intent (without a concrete project). Activist Dinkar Kotkar’s complaint noted the duty waiver alone had cost the state crores, and the FIR estimates a revenue loss of ~₹5.9 crore. In short, the exemption was improperly obtained even though no valid payment or project existed, and the investigation is ongoing.
Q3. How did Sheetal Tejwani come to hold the Power of Attorney for this Dalit land?
According to reports, the landowners had granted powers of attorney to Sheetal Tejwani many years ago. Investigations allege Tejwani obtained “irrevocable” PoAs from 272 individual owners by paying each only about ₹10,000–₹15,000. In other words, Tejwani legally controlled the title via these PoAs.
It’s true she was already under scrutiny for the 2018 Seva Vikas Bank loan scam -- her husband’s case, which is registered with Pimpri-Chinchwad Police. But her involvement in that does not legally bar her from holding PoAs. The land sale was executed through Tejwani’s PoA, and she signed on behalf of the owners. Thus, while controversial, her role as PoA-holder is a fact documented in the FIR.
Q4. Why doesn’t the FIR name Amadea Enterprises & Parth Pawar?
This is probably the biggest question asked by political circles and citizens currently, and no concrete, solid answers have surfaced. Police said that the initial FIR was lodged by the Inspector General of Registration’s office, based on a criminal complaint about illegal registration. It targeted those who completed the registration.
Thus, the FIR lists Digvijay Patil, Sheetal Tejwani, sub-registrar R.B. Taru (and later another official). Parth Pawar and the LLP were not named, reportedly because the FIR focused on “misappropriation and cheating” in registration. DCP Vishal Gaikwad of Pimpri-Chinchwad Police had said, “We have filed the complaint based on the complainant's submitted content. We will investigate the matter further.”
Meanwhile, Joint District Registrar Santosh Hingane, who filed the complaint, said, “For me, those who completed the registration are guilty.” Media reports also claimed that Parth Pawar owns 99% stakes in the company while Digvijay Patil holds only 1%, and the opposition has said that it's not at all possible; Pawar wasn't involved himself.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ajit Pawar had said, “Parth was not involved in the signing. Both Parth and Digvijay were unaware that the land was government property. Only Digvijay and Tejwani, and the official Taru, physically went to register the deed, which is why they were named in the FIR. Parth was not even there.”
This has given leeway for government and police officials to not register Parth's name in the FIR because they are working under intense pressure due to high-level names involved.
Q5. How Has Ajit Pawar Involved Himself In This?
The land deal cancellation was announced by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who publicly stated the sale documents were cancelled and affidavits submitted. However, the legal authority to annul the deed rests solely with the Registrar of the Revenue Department and not the Deputy CM.
It's being questioned what authority Ajit Pawar had in cancelling the deal, but unfortunately for speculating critics, Ajit's statement merely confirmed that his son's firm had filed the cancellation deed. The cancellation is now being processed through standard revenue procedures.
On Thursday, Ajit Pawar claimed he had heard rumours of the deal months ago and warned officials. By Friday, he said that neither he nor Parth Pawar had any knowledge of the transaction. His narrative and claims about his obliviousness have shifted drastically in 24 hours. However, the opposition and critics have said Ajit Pawar is using Parth's alleged ignorance to justify why the FIR omitted his name.
Q6. Can the investigation be trusted when Ajit Pawar is involved?
Ajit Pawar is Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister, and, along with that, he is also the Guardian Minister of Pune District. Congress Leader Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial probe and noted, “Ajit Pawar oversees Pune. Yet he says he knew nothing.” NCP-SP's Eknath Khadse has also demanded Pawar's resignation until the investigation is over.
In short, the concern is valid: having the top minister of the district potentially involved creates a perception problem. Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar also has a documented history of calling up civic and police officials and ‘asserting his dominance’.
What's Next?
Frankly speaking, political observers and legal experts have alleged that the cases against Parth Pawar and the arguments against him are not strong. RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar had said that the police cases registered in this land deal are weak. A senior journalist requesting anonymity said, “The matter will eventually die down. The justice will be made in the land deal, and it will be thoroughly verified, but history has told us one thing: the high-profile names will get a clean chit.”
