Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule dismissed reports suggesting Parth Pawar, son of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, had been cleared in the Mundhwa land scam. The Minister clarified that the probe committee, led by Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge, is yet to submit its final report. Media reports had indicated that the committee found no evidence linking Parth Pawar to the controversial deal.
Bawankule stated that the news of a clean chit for Parth Pawar is unfounded as they have not received any report yet. The Kharge Committee has requested an eight-day extension to conclude the investigation due to staff shortages and Zilla Parishad election-related duties. The Minister emphasized that he would comment on the matter only after receiving the final report to avoid creating confusion among the public.
The case involves 40 acres of ‘Mahar Vatan’ in Pune’s Mundhwa area, with allegations of undervaluation and procedural irregularities. The controversy arose in November last year over the alleged undervalued sale of land worth nearly Rs 1,800 crore for Rs 300 crore. Amadea Enterprises LLP, reportedly involving Parth Pawar, obtained a stamp duty waiver of Rs 21 crore by proposing an IT Park development on the land. Investigations have led to the suspension of Tehsildar Suryakant Yewle and Sub-Registrar Ravindra Taru, along with the arrest of Sheetal Tejwani in connection with the deal.
The probe also targets Digvijay Patil, the co-owner of Amadea Enterprises LLP, amidst criticism of the state government’s handling of the case by social activist Anjali Damania. Damania questioned the selective focus of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Sheetal Tejwani and demanded transparency in the investigation involving Digvijay Patil and Parth Pawar. The Kharge Committee’s report is awaited to determine if political figures named in the allegations will be further investigated.
