Pune Court Denies Bail in Mundhwa Land Deal, Labels It an 'Elite Scam'
In a significant development, a Pune court has rejected the bail application of Sheetal Tejwani, a key accused in the controversial Mundhwa land deal case. The court explicitly referred to the alleged irregularities as an 'elite scam', highlighting the gravity of the accusations. Tejwani, who held the power of attorney for 272 watandars of Mahar watan land, facilitated its sale to Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm where Parth Pawar, son of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is a partner.
Details of the Case and Court Order
Sheetal Tejwani, aged 44, had filed a bail plea before the court in connection with a case registered at Khadak police station. This case is under investigation by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Pune city police. The court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge BV Wagh, rejected the bail application on February 6, with the order copy becoming available on Monday.
In its detailed order, the court stated, 'Though, superficially it appears that the deal entered into by the applicant did not cause wrongful loss to any individual, but actually the applicant in connivance with government authority has secured illegal order of regularisation of the protected land and thereby caused huge loss to state exchequers for her illegal enrichment. Needless to say that the scam is an elite scam. The applicant is also involved in similar nature of crime.'
Background of the Mundhwa Land Deal
The land in Mundhwa, originally classified as Mahar Watan land—a hereditary land grant—was under government possession and leased to the Botanical Survey of India. The controversy erupted when this land was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP without obtaining the mandatory approval from the state government, raising serious legal and ethical concerns.
Tejwani was first arrested by the EOW on December 3 last year as part of the probe into an FIR registered at Khadak police station on November 7. Subsequently, she faced arrest by the Pimpri Chinchwad police in connection with a separate investigation into stamp duty waiver irregularities, registered at Bavdhan police station.
Additional Accused and Ongoing Investigations
Digvijay Patil, a partner of Parth Pawar in Amadea Enterprises LLP, has been named as an accused in both cases being investigated by the Pune police and Pimpri Chinchwad police. The FIR at Bavdhan police station was filed on November 6, following a complaint by the office of the Inspector General of Registration (IGR). This complaint alleged graft and irregularities in the multi-crore land deal involving Amadea Enterprises LLP.
The FIR includes charges under provisions of cheating and criminal breach of trust against Patil, Tejwani, and Ravindra Taru, the now-suspended sub-registrar who officiated the deal registration. The case continues to unfold as authorities delve deeper into the alleged elite scam, with Tejwani remaining in judicial custody pending further legal proceedings.
