Pune land deal row: Shiv Sena(UBT) demands probe by retired judge, Ajit Pawar’s resignation
Mumbai: Shiv Sena(UBT) leader and former Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state council Ambadas Danve on Friday demanded that the Maharashtra government appoint a committee headed by a retired judge to thoroughly investigate the transaction of a 40 acres of ‘Mahar Watan’ land (classified as government land) in Pune’s high profile Mundhwa Koregaon Park area involving Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar-linked Amadea Enterprises LLP. Danve.
Danve has said that the chief minister’s announcement to hold a probe by a committee led by the Revenue Department’s Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge was not enough. He reiterated an investigation by a retired judge.
He further stated the probe should be held on the lines of a one-man judicial commission of Justice D.S. Zoting, set up in 2016 to probe allegations against the then BJP Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse for the purchase of a three-acre plot in Maharashtra Industrial Development Area (MIDC) by allegedly misusing his position as the revenue minister. He demanded Dy CM Ajit Pawar’s resignation till the probe by a retired justice is conducted.
Danve, in his post on X in Marathi (loosely translated), said, “The son is making a Rs 300 crore deal in Pune, and his father (Dy CM Ajit Pawar) doesn’t know about it and that too when the son’s father is the guardian minister of Pune. Does it even make sense to you when you say this? Land has been acquired at a rate lower than the market price. Eknath Khadse’s resignation had been accepted. To uphold ethics until the inquiry is completed, you too should resign @AjitPawarSpeaks.”
He further said, “On the lines of the Justice Zoting Committee, the Chief Minister should appoint a committee in the Koregaon Park case as well. This is our clear demand.”
Amid a raging row, the state Inspector General and Stamps Controller registered an FIR late Thursday night at Bawdhan Police Station in Pune’s Pimpri-Chinchwad area, investigating alleged irregularities in a multi-crore land transaction involving government-owned property. The deal, executed in May 2025, has raised suspicions of corruption, undervaluation, and stamp duty evasion, potentially causing significant financial loss to the state exchequer.
Incidentally, the FIR does not directly name Parth Pawar but targets three individuals accused of collusion. The names mentioned in the FIR are — Partner Digvijay Patil, authorised signatory in Amadea Enterprises LLP; cousin of Parth Pawar, Shital Tejwani, Holder of the power of attorney for original landowners’ descendants, who facilitated the sale; and Ravindra Taru, Sub-registrar who registered the deal. The Revenue Department has already suspended Taru and Tehsildar Suryakant Yewale for their roles in the transaction.
The FIR has been lodged under Sections 316(5) and 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 (related to cheating and criminal breach of trust) and Section 59 of the Maharashtra Stamp Act (for evasion of stamp duty).
Earlier, Dy CM and NCP president Ajit Pawar on Thursday distanced himself from the high-value land transaction in Pune’s upscale Mundhwa-Koregaon Park involving his son Parth Pawar, saying that he was not even remotely connected to the deal.
Pawar expressed support for the ongoing probe ordered by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating that he (CM) is right to do so. Ajit Pawar emphasised his commitment to legality and called for strict action if any misuse is found.
The Dy CM further said, “I have never given instructions to the officers till date that my close or distant relatives will benefit. I have never called the officers and given any orders. On the contrary, as the deputy chief minister, I will tell all officers and employees that if anyone uses my name to do wrong or does something that is not in accordance with the rules, then I will not support them. I am a person who works within the framework of the law and rules.”
Dy CM Pawar also offered clarification, saying, “I have no connection with the deal and have not directed any official to favour relatives or party workers. If anyone has misused my name in the case, strict action should be taken against them.” He told reporters that he would make further comments on the controversy on Friday after looking into all papers and land deal details.