Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar received a major relief after the Income Tax department cleared properties worth over Rs 1,000 crore that were seized in 2021. This happened after the Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Appellate Tribunal dismissed accusations that he and his family owned benami properties.
The decision came just a day after Ajit Pawar took the oath as Deputy Chief Minister alongside Eknath Shinde, at the ceremony where Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister.
The Income Tax department had raided several properties linked to Ajit Pawar and his family on October 7, 2021, accusing them of owning benami assets. Some of the seized properties included a sugar factory in Satara, a flat in Delhi and a resort in Goa.
However, investigations showed that none of the properties were officially registered in Ajit Pawar’s name. The tribunal ruled that there was not enough evidence to support the allegations. It stated that the properties were bought through legal financial means, and the Income Tax department had failed to prove any connection between the Pawar family and benami properties.
The tribunal also noted, “There is no evidence to suggest that Ajit Pawar or his family transferred funds to acquire benami properties… it’s not that Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar transferred funds to procure benami properties.”
Ajit Pawar’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, argued that the allegations were legally unfounded. He emphasised that the family had done nothing wrong and all transactions related to the properties were made through legitimate channels, including banks, with no irregularities in the records.