Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, is accused of buying government land in Pune, which was leased to Botanical Survey of India (BSI), at a much lower price than its market value, without proper approvals. What is interesting is that the land belongs to the state and cannot be transferred.
In June, the Pune City Tehsildar issued an eviction notice to the BSI, directing it to vacate 17.51 hectares (about 44 acres) of state-leased land in Mundhwa, Pune. The notice followed a claim by a private company, Amadea Enterprises LLP, 99 per cent owned by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, that it had purchased the plot, The Indian Express reported.
BSI received an eviction notice
Dr A Benniamin, scientist and Head of BSI Pune, confirmed the development and said that after receiving the eviction notice, they contacted the Pune Collector, who verbally assured them that the issue would be reviewed and addressed.
“After receiving the letter, we approached the Pune Collector. He told us verbally that we need not worry and that he would look into the matter and do the needful,” he told The Indian Express, before adding that BSI received the eviction notice a few months back.
Pune Collector, Jintendra Dudi, confirmed that his office indeed received a complaint from BSI, but added that he was not aware that a sale deed had already been entered into.
“On the basis of this letter, the collector office had immediately written to the SDM and asked him to enquire about it, and ensure this illegal execution does not take place,” he told The Indian Express, before adding that the sale was “being stopped at that time itself”.
He further said that the department started collecting evidence against the tehsildar and “necessary action was being proposed against the tehsildar around a month ago itself”.
According to official records, a sale deed was signed on May 19 this year, between Sheetal Tejvani, acting as the power of attorney (PoA) holder for 272 original landowners from the Mahar (Scheduled Caste) community, and Amadea, jointly owned by Parth Pawar and Digvijay Patil, IE reported.
The land in question was originally classified as watan land, part of a pre-Independence system in which certain castes or families received land or revenue rights in return for services rather than monetary payment. Such land is considered non-transferable without state approval, as ownership lies with the government.
The 44-acre plot was leased to the BSI’s Western Regional Centre, which was established in 1955. The site, along with an adjoining five-acre campus at Koregaon Road, supports over 500 species of plants, including several endemic and threatened varieties from the Western Ghats and Western Coastal ecosystems.
‘Tehsildar illegally used his authority,’ says FIR
Pune’s Khadak Police Station registered a First Information Report (FIR) against City Tehsildar Suryakant Yevale following a complaint by Naib Tehsildar Pravina Borde. The FIR refers to Yevale’s June 9 letter addressed to an assistant director in the deputy director’s office, alleging that he “illegally used his authority” to send the eviction notice.
The FIR further alleged that Amadea had illegally purchased the land and attempted to gain its physical possession through an application submitted by Digvijay Patil to the Tehsildar. It further stated that the firm had allegedly bought 17.51 hectares of land in Survey Number 88, Koregaon, Mundhwa (Pune city tehsil) from Sheetal Tejvani.
“The tehsildar was suspended yesterday [on the basis of investigation] and FIRs have been registered in both the matters,” Dudi told The Indian Express.
Watandars claimed they paid DD
Dudi further stated that the BSI approached his office in June after receiving the Tehsildar’s letter, which instructed the Central government body to transfer the land to the original watandars. The order, he explained, was based on a letter submitted by the watandars claiming they had paid a demand draft (DD) and were therefore the legitimate owners of the property. However, upon verification, no such payment was found.
“The letter claimed they had paid money to our office through a DD. We checked and no such DD was received,” Dudi was further quoted by the outlet as saying.
Sheetal Tejvani, the PoA holder, had written to Dudi’s office in December 2024, seeking possession of the land, the outlet further reported.
“It is important to note that possession of this kind of land cannot be transferred at all. And even if it is some type of land that can be transferred, government permission and challan have to be taken first,” he further revealed.
Land belongs to state, can’t be sold
Rajendra Muthe, Maharashtra’s Joint Inspector General of Registration, who is assisting the inquiry, reaffirmed that the land belongs to the state and cannot be sold. He further noted that the land records identified the “Bombay government” as the rightful owner, and that the property card issued after 2018 continued to reflect the same ownership status.
“The person holding power of attorney cannot sell the land at any cost. We are probing everything and will submit the report in seven days to the state government,” he told IE.
The Opposition claimed that the land, valued at approximately Rs 1,800 crore, was sold illegally for just Rs 300 crore, resulting in a loss of Rs 21 crore in unpaid stamp duty to the state exchequer.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has formed an inquiry committee into the alleged illegal sale of land. He also assured that “no one will be spared” if wrongdoing is found. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said that the sale deed had been cancelled.