Report Reveals Collusion in Pune Land Deal Involving Parth Pawar's Company

A probe into the Pune land scam reveals how government officials allegedly colluded to facilitate the illegal sale of state-owned land to a company linked to Parth Pawar, raising serious questions about corruption and land record manipulation.

The Vikas Kharge committee which probed the sale of government land in Pune's Mundhwa area to a company co-owned by Parth Pawar has stated in its report that the illegal transaction was facilitated by officials from revenue, stamp and registration departments.

The panel, however, refrained from commenting on the criminal liability in the case, saying it was outside its purview.

A committee headed by Kharge, additional chief secretary of the Maharashtra revenue department, was set up to probe the matter after the illegal sale of government land worth hundreds of crores of rupees to Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which late NCP leader Ajit Pawar's son Parth is the majority owner, came to light.

Its report was tabled in the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Wednesday.

Findings of the Investigation

The committee said that determining criminal liability was beyond its mandate, even as it noted that the case involved offences of a criminal nature. It held Digvijay Patil, a partner in Amadea Enterprises, responsible for purchasing the land despite being aware of its disputed status, calling it a serious lapse.

It also observed that then sub-registrar Ravindra Taru was liable for criminal action, while 'seller' Shital Tejwani had repeatedly filed illegal applications. The panel termed the registration of the sale document at Haveli as illegal, and said no stamp duty concession was justified.

According to the report, around 40 acres of government land in Mundhwa was sold to Amadea Enterprises despite being owned by the state government which had leased it to the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). The committee pointed to collusion among officials from the revenue, stamp and registration departments in facilitating the deal.

It further flagged manipulation of land records, including wrongful classification of the property and alteration of entries in official documents, leading to significant revenue loss. A stamp duty waiver of Rs 21 crore was granted on the basis of a letter of intent, which the panel termed a "grave irregularity."

The committee noted that Amadea Enterprises was subsequently directed to pay Rs 21 crore in stamp duty along with Rs 1.5 crore as interest. The company has appealed before the stamp department, which is expected to take a decision within two months.

The report also recorded that the land, originally acquired by the government in 1955 and leased to BSI, continues to remain state property. It cited court rulings that had dismissed claims of private ownership.

Recommendations and Actions Taken

Among its recommendations, the panel called for permanent transfer of the land to BSI, and immediate digitisation and updating of government land records to prevent such irregularities in future. It also sought strict action against erring officials under anti-corruption laws.

Officials including former tehsildar Suryakant Yewale and sub-registrar Ravindra Taru have already been suspended, while police cases have been registered against Tejwani, Patil and others involved in the transaction, the report noted.

Notably, Parth Pawar has not been made an accused in any of the police cases as his signature did not appear on the sale document.