Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday raised sharp questions over the non-inclusion of Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar, as an accused in a high-profile government land deal case in Pune, despite his alleged connection to the purchasing firm.
During a hearing, Justice Madhav Jamdar noted that M/s. Almeida Enterprises LLP acquired 40 acres of government land in Pune’s Mundhwa area at a price significantly below its market value.
Investigation records revealed that the firm had two directors: Parth Pawar and Digvijay Patil.
However, the state police chose to charge only Digvijay Patil, omitting Parth Pawar from the list of accused.
In an order released this September, Justice Jamdar highlighted allegations that Parth Pawar was spared from prosecution due to his high influence as the son of the Deputy Chief Minister.
Querying the state police on why Parth Pawar was not named alongside his aide, the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Sadanand Vasant Date to personally file an affidavit addressing the disparity in the investigation.
The matter came to light while the court was hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by Suryakant Yewale, a Pune Tehsildar, accused of misusing his official position to facilitate the fraudulent transaction.
Yewale has denied all charges, alleging he was falsely implicated and played no role in the deal.
The Bombay High Court has directed both the Maharashtra DGP and the Investigating Officer to submit their responses before the next scheduled hearing on September 28.
The Mundhwa land scam revolves around the alleged fraudulent sale and illegal transfer of a prime 43.3-acre (nearly 17.5-hectare) parcel of government-owned land in Pune’s Mundhwa estimated to be worth nearly Rs 1,800 crore.
Pune businesswoman/builder Sheetal Tejwani, who held the Power of Attorney (PoA) on behalf of the original Watandars for nearly two decades, allegedly executed a sale deed transferring the land to Amadea Enterprises LLP for a nominal consideration of Rs 300 crore.
A seven-member high-level government committee led by Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Vikas Kharge submitted a 4,392-page inquiry report.
The committee termed the land deal “illegal and criminal”.
It indicted partner Digvijay Patil, PoA holder Sheetal Tejwani, and administrative officials.
The committee did not directly blame Parth Pawar in its immediate scope, but recommended a full police investigation into Amadea Enterprises’ financial records and transaction mechanics.
(IANS)
