Social activist Vijay Kumbhar on Friday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded an inquiry into Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol's alleged involvement in the sale of a Jain trust property in Pune's Model Colony.
In his letter to Modi, Kumbhar wrote, "I am writing to bring to your attention a serious matter involving irregularities in the property transactions of a Jain Trust in Pune and the possible involvement of Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol. The facts of the case raise grave concerns about propriety, misuse of position and violation of multiple laws."
"The land in question, approximately 3 acres belonging to Hirachand Nemchand Doshi Memorial Trust located at Model Colony, Pune, was purchased by a firm named Gokhale Landmarks LLP by flouting several legal and procedural norms. It has been revealed that two Multi-State Cooperative Credit Societies, namely Buldhana Urban Co-operative Credit Society (Maharashtra) and Shri Bireswar Cooperative Credit Society (Karnataka), provided financial assistance for this transaction in violation of applicable cooperative regulations. These institutions failed to perform basic due diligence before extending such a large loan, indicating possible external influence or pressure," Kumbhar wrote.
"As you are aware, Multi-State Co-operative Societies are governed by the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002, a Central legislation under the purview of the Union Government. The concerned Minister of State for Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, therefore, bears administrative oversight over these institutions. It is further a matter of public record that Mohol promoted Gokhale Landmarks LLP’s project 'Gokhale Business Bay' and publicly acknowledged his close friendship with the partners of the firm. Election affidavits submitted by Mohol during the Lok Sabha elections indicate that he was or has been a partner in certain companies associated with the Gokhale group. Records show that he was a designated partner (50%) in Gokhale Estates LLP, another company linked with Gokhale Landmarks LLP, sharing the same address and contact details. Thus, his claim of having no connection with these companies appears misleading," the activist added.
"Additionally, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has initiated legal action against Gokhale Landmarks LLP for violations under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act. The projects 'Gokhale Business Bay' and 'Tejkunj' were found to have used a single bank account for multiple projects contrary to RERA norms requiring 70% of funds to be separately maintained per project. Despite repeated notices (including one dated 16 March 2023), the promoter failed to respond, leading to suspension of project registration, freezing of related HDFC Bank accounts, and prohibition on further sale or registration of flats. The projects are still in abeyance. Despite these clear violations, the above-mentioned Cooperative Credit Societies approved substantial funding (around ₹70 crore) for Gokhale Landmarks LLP without adequate scrutiny and even relinquished their mortgage rights later," Kumbhar stated.
He noted that this sequence of events strongly suggests "irregular influence or pressure in the financing process." "Instead of ensuring accountability and ordering an impartial probe into the financial and regulatory violations, Mohol has distanced himself from the matter, despite clear evidence of conflict of interest," Kumbhar said.
He has put forth three demands - ordering a thorough and impartial inquiry into the Jain Trust property transaction, investigating the roles of Gokhale Landmarks LLP, the two Cooperative Credit Societies and all officials involved, and lastly, examining the involvement of Mohol in the matter and taking appropriate action if any misuse of position or conflict of interest is established.
