Ajit Pawar’s son Parth in Rs 300-cr land deal controversy: sub-registrar suspended; CM Devendra Fadnavis calls issue ‘serious’

PUNE: The Maharashtra Revenue Department has suspended a sub-registrar and launched an investigation into a Rs 300-crore land deal involving deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's son Parth Pawar in Pune.

The deal, which involves the sale of 40 acres of government-owned Mahar Vatan land to Amadea Enterprises LLP, where Parth Pawar is a partner, has come under scrutiny for alleged irregularities including waived stamp duty and the illegal sale of government property to a private firm.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a probe into the matter, acknowledging its serious nature, according to news agency PTI.Inspector General of Registration Ravindra Binwade confirmed the formation of a high-level committee to investigate how government land was transferred to a private firm and verify if the exemption followed proper 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," Binwade stated.Revenue department sources revealed that the '7/12 extract' shows the land is registered under 'Mumbai Sarkar,' while property cards display the names of sellers who transferred it to the private firm.

Parth Pawar, who shares partnership in the firm with Digvijay Patil, did not respond to requests for comment.Chief Minister Fadnavis, speaking to reporters in Nagpur, said, "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."RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar has alleged that the land in Pune's Mundhwa area was purchased at a price significantly below market rate, with a stamp duty waiver of Rs 21 crore.Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said his department would examine the case after receiving a formal complaint from activist Anjali Damania, expected by November 11."The Industries Department, while encouraging certain industries, offers waivers or reliefs. That department will have to provide all relevant details. Instead of making any statements now, I will wait till November 11 when Damania submits her documents," Bawankule explained.Opposition leaders have demanded thorough investigation into the transaction.Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar called for a judicial inquiry, stating, "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."Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve claimed the land's actual worth is Rs 1,800 crore and questioned how a company with just Rs 1 lakh capital could propose an IT park project.Danve noted that the transaction was completed within 27 days and criticized the stamp duty waiver, asking, "Earlier, Ajit Pawar said that people want everything for free. If that's the case, why do they want it (the land) for free?"