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Pune Police have registered an FIR in connection with an alleged irregular land transaction reportedly linked to Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The case has triggered political debate after it emerged that prime government land was transferred at a significantly undervalued rate.
The FIR names Shital Tejwani, Digvijay Patil and Ravindra Taru for their alleged involvement in the deal. The land in question had originally been leased to the Botanical Survey of India for 15 years, with an extension of 50 years granted till 2038 at a token rent of ₹1 per year, indicating that the land remained under government ownership and control.
As per preliminary findings, Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Parth Pawar is a partner, reportedly purchased nearly 40 acres of the land located in Pune’s Koregaon Park for around ₹300 crore, despite its estimated value being more than ₹1,800 crore. The transaction further drew scrutiny after it emerged that the stamp duty paid at the time of registration was only ₹500.
The government has also issued a notice to recover ₹5.99 crore in unpaid stamp duty and is preparing criminal action against the Power of Attorney holder, the buyer company and the Sub-Registrar. Notably, while the transaction is connected to Parth Pawar through Amadea Enterprises, his name does not figure as an accused in the FIR.
According to Officials, a deal valued at ₹300 crore, the stamp duty and taxes payable would be around ₹21 crore.
Even if the project qualified for a 5% concession applicable to data centre developments, local charges such as Local Body Tax and Metro Cess amounting to nearly ₹6 crore were still mandatory. The registration, therefore, allegedly caused a substantial financial loss to the state exchequer.
However, Following the action taken, social activist Anjali Damania shared a post on X (Twitter) expressing her reaction. Taking a direct dig at the government, she stated, “Don’t take action against the officer, if you have the guts, take action against Ajit Pawar.”
Damania further added, “The suspension of Pune Tehsildar Suryakant Yewale is just the first action. Don’t make officers scapegoats. If you have the courage, take action against Ajit Pawar.”
She also Questioned Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, stating “Ajit Pawar often says farmers keep getting everything for free and their loans waived, but his son’s deal worth ₹1,804 crore, which had a stamp duty of ₹126 crore, was shown as a ₹300 crore deal, and even the ₹21 crore stamp duty on that was waived! Was this waiver not ‘free’?”
Amid the escalating controversy, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Thursday distanced himself from the matter. Speaking to the media, he said neither he nor his office had any role in the deal.
“I am not fully aware of what is being shown on TV. I have no direct or indirect connection with the transaction. If my name has been misused, strict action must be taken,” he said. Pawar added that he had heard about such dealings a few months ago and had instructed that no illegal steps be taken. “What happened afterwards, I am not aware,” he added.
The interim investigation report has flagged serious lapses by then Joint Sub-Registrar Ravindra Taru, who registered the sale deed without verifying mandatory government approval or a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Taru has been suspended pending a detailed inquiry.
The state government has formed a high-level committee to examine the functioning of the Stamp Duty and Registration Department and assess the revenue loss. The committee has been asked to submit its final report within eight days.
