Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said his son Parth Pawar and his business partner were unaware that a 40-acre land parcel in Pune, which their company had agreed to buy, belonged to the state government. The deal, which triggered a political storm, has now been cancelled.
The controversy revolves around the proposed purchase of around 40 acres in Pune’s Koregaon Park by Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm jointly owned by Parth Pawar and Digvijay Patil.
The land in question is classified as Mahar Watan land, historically granted to members of the Mahar Scheduled Caste community. Under law, such land cannot be sold or transferred without the express permission of the state government.
Opposition parties have alleged that the land, estimated to be worth ₹1,800 crore, was sold to the firm for only ₹300 crore, with a stamp duty waiver allegedly approved within 48 hours of the transaction. According to a report by The Print, the original stamp duty payable on the deal was about ₹21 crore.
Responding to the allegations, Ajit Pawar said that the agreement signed was only preliminary and that no financial exchange or possession transfer had taken place. He confirmed that the land in question “belongs to the government and cannot be sold.”
“Parth and his partner Digvijay Patil were not aware of this fact,” Pawar said. “How the registration [of the sale] was done and who is responsible will come out in the probe," he added.
He stated that there had been no political pressure on officials to process the land transfer. “As per the information I have, the authorities were not pressured to transfer the land to Parth Pawar’s company,” he said.
The FIR in the case names three individuals, including Digvijay Patil, but not Parth Pawar, as only those who had physically signed the documents at the registrar’s office were named.
“The government-appointed committee will conduct a thorough investigation, and whatever the truth may be, it will come to light,” Pawar said. “If anyone is found guilty, appropriate legal action will be taken.”
He added that he had “always worked within the framework of law and transparency,” stressing that neither he nor his office had played any role in the deal. “No assistance, intervention or telephonic communication in this regard has been made by me or through my office,” he said.
The state government has since suspended a tehsildar and a sub-registrar linked to the alleged irregularities.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a formal probe into the allegations surrounding the Koregaon Park land deal. He said he had sought details from the Revenue and Land Records Departments, directing officials to investigate the matter thoroughly.
“The issue that has come to light appears to be serious,” Fadnavis told reporters. “Our coalition government believes in transparency, and this matter will be examined to determine whether there were any irregularities. If so, strict action will follow.”
Ajit Pawar said that he welcomed the probe. “The chief minister should definitely investigate this, it is his right,” he said. “I am not even remotely connected to this [land deal]. When your children grow up, they do their own business.”
Opposition parties have seized on the controversy, with Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal demanding Ajit Pawar’s resignation over the allegations.
