The 40-acre land parcel in Pune at the centre of a controversy over alleged irregularities in its sale belongs to the state government and cannot be sold under any circumstances, Maharashtra’s Joint Inspector General of Registration Rajendra Muthe said on Friday.
Muthe, who is assisting an inquiry committee announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, told The Indian Express that the ownership records clearly list the land as government property. “The 7/12 document (land ownership record) showed Mumbai Sarkar (erstwhile Bombay government) as the owner. The property card issued after 2018 also reflects the same. The person holding power of attorney cannot sell the land at any cost,” he said. “We are probing all aspects and will submit a report to the state government within seven days.”
The inquiry follows a sale agreement between Pune resident Sheetal Tejwani, who held the power of attorney for 272 original owners of the land, and Amadea Enterprises LLP, a limited liability partnership jointly owned by Parth Pawar, son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Digvijay Patil.
According to The Indian Express, the 40-acre land was originally watan land belonging to members of the Mahar (now Scheduled Caste) community. Under the pre-Independence watan system, certain castes or families were granted land or revenue rights in exchange for hereditary services.
Records show that Amadea Enterprises LLP received a Letter of Intent (LoI) from Pune’s District Industries Centre (DIC) on 24 April 2024, just two days after it applied to establish an IT park under the “LoI/Registration to IT/ITES Parks” category. Barely a year later, on 19 May 2025, the firm entered into a ₹300-crore sale deed with Tejwani.
The company reportedly used the LoI to claim a 100 per cent stamp duty waiver, a benefit introduced under a policy cleared by the Eknath Shinde-led Sena–BJP government in May 2023, two months before Ajit Pawar joined the alliance. A formal notification granting the waiver to new data centre projects was issued on 1 February 2024.
The disputed land, however, is currently leased to the Botanical Survey of India, a Central government body tasked with documenting the country’s plant diversity. The BSI’s lease is valid until 2038, and a botanical garden project had been proposed on the site last year. When the lease expires, the land is to be returned to its lawful owner.
Historical records show that on 13 September 1955, around 43 acres of watan land were taken over by the state government due to alleged non-payment of taxes. The following December, it was handed over to the BSI’s Western Regional Centre, and the lease was renewed for 50 years in 1988.
State government sources quoted by The Indian Express said that any extension of the BSI lease beyond 2038 would depend on the state’s decision to regrant the land to its original owners. Tejwani, as power of attorney holder, had been authorised to pursue all related matters, including regrant applications, affidavits, legal procedures, and land development activities.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that the criminal investigation into the Mahar Watan land deal would continue even after the cancellation of the sale deed, which Ajit Pawar announced earlier. “Strong action will be taken against all those responsible,” Fadnavis said. “As per the information I have, the land deal was executed but the money transaction was pending. The registry had been completed, and both sides have now sought to cancel the registration. Even to cancel a registry, the payment has to be made, and they have been served notice accordingly.”
He added that “all irregularities related to the case will be taken to a logical end” and that “those responsible will face further action”. An Additional Chief Secretary-led committee, he said, will submit its report within a month to determine the full scope of the matter and identify any other individuals involved. “The police have already arrested two persons in this case. The probe will be carried out thoroughly, and nobody will be spared,” he added.
Facing mounting criticism, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told reporters that the deal had already been cancelled. “Not a single paisa was exchanged in the land deal. The sale deed now stands cancelled,” he said. He confirmed that a six-member committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge, had been formed to examine the alleged irregularities. “I expect the committee to function in a transparent manner without political pressure,” Pawar added.
