Maharashtra Land Scandal: 152 Revenue Officials Indicted for Manipulating Records
A major land scandal has rocked Maharashtra's revenue department, with an inquiry panel indicting 152 officials from Pune district for allegedly manipulating land records over the past five years. The investigation, headed by Nashik divisional commissioner Praveen Gedam, has uncovered systematic misuse of legal provisions to alter crucial land documentation.
Systematic Misuse of Legal Provisions
The Gedam committee's report reveals that officials exploited Section 155 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC), 1966, which is intended only for correcting clerical or minor errors in land records. Instead, they allegedly made substantive changes that fell completely outside their legal authority.
"The officials appear to have made substantive changes in land records, such as altering ownership, land classification and area - actions that fall outside their legal scope - by using the MLRC section," a senior revenue officer, speaking anonymously, told TOI. This widespread manipulation has triggered numerous land-related disputes across the district.
Statewide Audit Ordered
State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule responded to the revelations on Wednesday during a calling attention motion in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab raised the issue, prompting immediate government action.
Bawankule announced he has ordered a comprehensive statewide audit of all Section 155 violation cases over the last five years. "Divisional commissioners across Maharashtra will conduct a comprehensive audit of orders issued under Section 155 over the past five years and a statewide report will be submitted within two months to assess the scale of such violations," he declared.
Scale of the Investigation
The Gedam committee examined only 2,383 of the total 38,027 complaints of land record manipulations from Pune district on a pilot basis. Even this limited examination revealed alarming patterns of misconduct:
- Accepting offline applications against procedure
- Issuing orders without proper notice to stakeholders
- Converting occupant class-2 land to class-1 without authorization
- Altering land area measurements
- Deleting names of rightful stakeholders from records
Senior revenue officials confirmed that verification of the remaining complaints from Pune district will be conducted in due course, suggesting the scandal may be even more extensive than currently documented.
Severity of Violations and Planned Actions
Bawankule detailed the breakdown of violations to the legislative council: "Of the 152 officials indicted by the committee, 15 were involved in very serious irregularities, 82 in serious cases, and 55 in moderate violations."
The government has announced a multi-pronged response:
- Suspensions of implicated officials
- Departmental inquiries into misconduct
- Criminal proceedings against those involved
- Transfers of officials involved in serious cases
- Action under the Public Records Act
Background and Investigation Timeline
The government appointed the Gedam committee in September last year following numerous complaints received since 2020 regarding alleged misuse of MLRC Section 155. The committee was tasked with securing an independent probe into cases specifically in Pune district.
Given the enormous volume of records - running into tens of thousands of mutation entries - the committee required several months to scrutinize documents before submitting its report earlier this year. The malpractice first came to light between July and August 2025.
Patterns of Questionable Practices
The investigation flagged consistent patterns of questionable practices, including handwritten amendment orders and instances where tehsildars allegedly issued orders without proper authority. "Many of these amendments pertained to sensitive land matters such as registration of heirs, sale permissions and alterations in the 'other rights' column of land records," another senior revenue officer revealed on Thursday.
In several documented cases, officials allegedly altered land records without landowners' consent, facilitating illegal ownership transfers and questionable conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural status.
Political Response and Farmer Impact
Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab, who raised the issue in the legislative council, demanded criminal cases against all involved officials, including tehsildars, circle officers and talathis. He claimed that over one lakh farmers have been adversely affected by these manipulations and demanded immediate suspension of all guilty officials.
Member Sachin Ahir joined the call for swift action, emphasizing the need for accountability. Bawankule assured the House that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken serious note of the issue, describing the misuse of legal provisions under the guise of minor corrections as a grave matter that requires decisive action.
Next Steps and Accountability
Bawankule promised that "an action taken report (ATR) on the Gedam committee's report will be tabled in the House before the end of the ongoing session of the state legislature." This commitment ensures legislative oversight of the government's response to this significant administrative scandal.
The comprehensive statewide audit ordered by the revenue minister represents the next phase of addressing this systemic issue, with results expected within two months that will reveal the full scale of Section 155 misuse across Maharashtra.
