The three-member committee appointed by the Maharashtra government to probe into the controversial Rs 300-crore Pune land deal case, did not mention Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, in its report on the irregularities despite his 99 percent stake in the company at the centre of the alleged illegal transaction.
A long-awaited investigation report into the Pune government land deal has now been released. The committee, headed by the Joint Inspector General, found three individuals, including former sub-registrar Ravindra Taru, guilty of irregularities in the sale of prime government land in Mundhwa to a private company and in granting an unjustified waiver in stamp duty.
Although Parth Pawar is a partner in Amadea Enterprises, the probe found that his name does not appear on any documents linked to the land transaction. Consequently, the committee did not mention him in its report.
The land in question, a 43-acre plot officially recorded as government-owned, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP for Rs 300 crore, far below the estimated market valuation of up to Rs 1,800 crore. The firm is reportedly associated with Parth Pawar.
The declared deal value of Rs 300 crore should have attracted around Rs 21 crore in stamp duty and associated taxes. Instead, investigators found that the deed was registered with a token stamp duty of just Rs 500 and a registration fee of Rs 30,000, resulting in a significant loss to the state exchequer.
According to the report, government records clearly indicated that the land belonged to the state. Despite this, Taru used a “skip” option in the registration system to classify the land as movable property, bypassing mandatory verification checks.
The buying company, Amadea Enterprises LLP, had also claimed exemption from stamp duty. However, the committee noted that the company did not possess the required eligibility certificate from the District Industries Centre. The report additionally highlighted defects in the power of attorney submitted by the sellers.
Officials clarified that the panel’s mandate was limited to examining revenue loss and procedural lapses, not determining criminal liability. Within this scope, the panel confirmed that irregularities had occurred and held the company responsible.
Opposition leaders strongly criticised the committee’s findings. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve alleged that if Parth Pawar holds a 99 percent partnership in the company, his exclusion raises serious concerns. He added that if this is the government’s standard of justice, it must apply equally to all citizens.
Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar called the inquiry a “farce,” stating that public suspicion about the land deal had now been confirmed. He accused the government of forming committees merely to issue clean chits and questioned why there was such urgency to “protect the Deputy Chief Minister’s industrialist son.” Wadettiwar demanded a judicial inquiry, warning that sparing politically connected individuals sets a dangerous precedent that could enable future misuse of government land.
Meanwhile, the state government has appointed a separate six-member committee, chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue), to further examine the violations and recommend disciplinary or legal action.
