The prosecution in a major land fraud case in Pune has revealed that the arrested power of attorney holder made persistent but unsuccessful efforts for nearly eight years to get a valuable government land parcel regranted before allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent sale. The case involves a 40-acre government land in Mundhwa, which was illegally sold for Rs 300 crore to a firm where Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth, is a partner.
Years of Failed Attempts Preceded Fraudulent Sale
According to the state prosecution's remand report submitted to a magisterial court on Thursday, Sheetal Tejwani, the arrested PoA holder, made multiple attempts between 2013 and 2021 to get the land regranted. These attempts were made before the revenue minister and the Bombay High Court, but all proved futile. The land in question is owned by the Maharashtra government and its revenue record (7/12 extract) is officially closed. Furthermore, it has been leased to the Botanical Survey of India until 2038.
Despite these clear obstacles, Tejwani allegedly shifted strategy. In November 2020, she filed a misleading application with the collector's office. This application falsely claimed that the land had already been regranted through a 1994 order by a revenue minister. She urged the office to accept an occupancy price and update the watandars' names in the records.
The Fraudulent Transaction and Police Custody
The prosecution detailed a bold move by Tejwani. On December 30, 2024, she furnished a demand draft of Rs 11,000 as purported occupancy price for the land. Crucially, this was done despite there being no regrant orders from any authority and no directive for her to make such a payment. The DD remains uncashed. This act, according to the prosecution, was part of creating a paper trail to legitimize the illegal sale.
The core of the alleged fraud is the execution of a sale deed on May 20 this year. Tejwani, acting on behalf of the watandars (original land holders), sold the government land to Amadea Enterprises LLP for Rs 300 crores. Public Prosecutor Amit Yadav told the court that this act amounted to cheating the government. The police sought 14-day custody to unravel the conspiracy, identify all involved, analyze digital devices, and secure original documents like PoAs and the development agreement. Judicial Magistrate First Class Alisha Bagal granted police custody till December 11.
Legal Submissions and Defense
Lawyer Arun Sonawane, representing the watandars, highlighted a grave irregularity. He informed the court that out of the 272 original land holders, about 80 were deceased, and their PoAs had lapsed. "Yet, these PoAs were used to execute the deal. The case needed thorough investigation," he submitted. District Government Pleader Pramod Bombatkar, for the collector's office, asserted the land belongs to the government and accused Tejwani and others of preparing forged documents for registration.
Defense lawyer Ajay Bhise argued against custodial remand, stating Tejwani was cooperating fully with the investigation and had presented herself before the police whenever summoned. He added that all relevant documents were already with the police for their examination.
The prosecution's case rests on the sequence of events: Tejwani first secured 34 registered and 55 unregistered PoAs from the 272 watandars between 2006 and 2008. She even entered into a property development agreement contingent on the land's regrant. After years of failed legal and administrative attempts, she allegedly resorted to fraudulent means, culminating in the massive Rs 300 crore sale, which has now sparked a major investigation.
