The Bombay High Court questioned why Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has not been named in the FIR related to the Pune land scam.
During the hearing on Wenesday, the court noted that although the disputed firm belongs to Parth Pawar, his name was missing from the FIR. Police have booked six individuals and arrested two. Notably, Parth’s business partner, Digvijay Patil, who holds a 10% stake in the firm, has been named, whereas Parth, who owns 90%, has not.
Justice Madhav Jamdhar raised the issue while hearing the anticipatory bail plea of accused Sheetal Tejwani. The court questioned why Tejwani had approached the High Court when her application was still pending before the Pune City Civil Court.
The bench also sought clarification from the state-appointed public prosecutor, asking whether this was indeed the case involving the Deputy Chief Minister’s son. After the prosecutor confirmed it, the court reiterated, “Why was Parth Pawar’s name missing from the FIR?”
State Acting Public Prosecutor M.M. Deshmukh urged the court to dismiss Tejwani’s plea, calling it an “abuse of legal process”. He pointed out that Tejwani had already filed for similar relief before a Pune court on 8 December, with the matter scheduled for hearing on 15 December. Yet, he said, she had approached the High Court “without giving any breathing time”.
Justice Jamdhar indicated he might impose heavy costs of ₹5 lakh on her in the order. Following this, her counsel, advocate Chavan, sought permission to withdraw the application, which the High Court allowed.
Parth Pawar has been linked to a prime 40-acre land deal in Pune. His firm, Amadea Enterprises LLP, reportedly acquired Mahar Watan land valued at approximately ₹1,800 crore and obtained a waiver of ₹25 crore in stamp duty and registration fees by claiming the intention to develop an IT hub. The transaction was allegedly carried out on stamp paper worth only ₹500.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said the High Court had raised the same questions the Congress has been highlighting, namely, why Parth Pawar’s name is absent from the FIR despite being the majority owner of the firm.
Social activist Anjali Damani, who is pursuing the case, demanded the registration of an FIR against Parth Pawar and urged Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to step down to ensure an impartial investigation.
