Parth Pawar: From Gangster Felicitation to Multi-Crore Land Scam Allegations
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, finds himself embroiled in yet another major controversy, this time involving an alleged multi-hundred crore land scam in Pune. The Pune City Police have registered cases against multiple individuals, including Parth's close associate, Digvijay Patil. This is not the first time Parth has been at the center of a public storm, with a previous incident involving a notorious Pune gangster resurfacing to haunt him.
A History of Controversial Associations
In January of last year, Parth Pawar sparked a significant political controversy when he visited Gajanan Marne, a dreaded gangster from Pune's Kothrud area. A video that went viral at the time showed Parth with Marne and his wife, Jayshree, a former corporator. The visual of Marne felicitating Parth with flowers became the talk of the town and drew severe criticism.
Parth was accompanied by a group of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers, including its then Pune unit chief Deepak Mankar and former mayor Dattatraya Dhankawade. Facing intense heat, his father, Ajit Pawar, publicly stated that his son's meeting with the gangster was a "very wrong thing".
According to police records, Gajanan Marne remains an active gangster with close to 30 serious criminal cases registered against him. He had previously made headlines in February 2021 when a massive rally of luxury cars was taken out on the Mumbai Expressway to celebrate his release from Taloja prison after an acquittal in a murder case of a rival gang member.
The Current Land Scam Allegations
The current scandal involves two separate cases of alleged land fraud in Pune. The first FIR was lodged at the Bavdhan police station in Pimpri Chinchwad against Digvijay Amarsinh Patil (director of Amadea Enterprises LLP), Sheetal Tejwani, and a now-suspended sub-registrar, Ravindra Taru.
They are accused of fraudulently purchasing 40 acres of prime land in Koregaon Park, with a suspicious waiver of stamp duty worth Rs 5.89 crore. Following the controversy, Ajit Pawar announced that the agreement for this land deal has been cancelled.
A second FIR was registered at Khadak police station in Pune city against Digvijay Patil, Tejwani, and now-suspended Pune city tehsildar Suryakant Yewale, among others. This case involves an alleged scam concerning 13 acres of government land in Bopodi. The FIR alleges that Yewale misused his powers as tehsildar and conspired with the other accused to issue an illegal order granting them ownership of the land, which belongs to the government's agriculture department.
Ongoing Police Action and Political Fallout
While Parth Pawar is a partner in Amadea Enterprises LLP, he has not been named as an accused in either of the two FIRs. However, the association has placed him and his powerful political family under a harsh spotlight. In a related development, the Pune City police have recently arrested Sunil Bansode and Rupesh Marne, both described as top members of the Gaja Marne gang, in the last two weeks.
The combination of his past association with a known criminal and the current serious allegations of financial irregularities in land deals has created a complex web of legal and political challenges for Parth Pawar, raising questions about accountability and influence in Maharashtra's political landscape.
