In a significant development in the alleged multi-crore land scam in Pune's prime Mundhwa area, the Pimpri Chinchwad police on Sunday arrested the suspended sub-registrar who had officially registered the controversial sale deed. The arrest is linked to a deal involving a company where Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, is a partner.
The Arrest and Key Accused
Ravindra Balkrushna Taru (58), the then sub-registrar of Haveli Number 4 sub-registrar office, was arrested from his residence in Bhor. Taru had registered the sale deed on May 20 this year for a transaction now under the scanner for massive alleged irregularities. The police stated that his arrest became necessary after their investigation established his role in the case. He is set to be produced before a court.
This arrest follows the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) at the Bavdhan police station on November 6. The FIR was registered based on a complaint from the office of the Inspector General of Registration (IGR), alleging graft and serious procedural violations. Alongside Taru, the FIR names Digvijay Patil (Parth Pawar's business partner), and Sheetal Tejwani (44), a Pune resident who held the power of attorney for the original landowners.
The Core of the Alleged Scam: Mahar Watan Land
The controversy revolves around the sale of approximately 40 acres of land in Mundhwa, a prime real estate location in Pune. This land was categorised as "Mahar watan" land—a hereditary landholding system where members of the Mahar community (a Scheduled Caste) were historically granted land (watan) in return for services to village administration.
Critically, such watan lands cannot be sold without prior approval from the state government. The land parcel was also leased to the Botanical Survey of India. The police allege that the land was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP—the firm where Parth Pawar and Digvijay Patil are partners—for a mere Rs 300 crore, along with a waiver of stamp duty. The actual market value of the property is alleged to be more than five times this amount.
Parallel Probe and Tejwani's Custody
In a parallel investigation, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Pune city police, which is probing a separate FIR in the same case, had earlier arrested Sheetal Tejwani on December 3. Tejwani, who held power of attorney for 272 watandars (original landowners), is in the custody of Pune city police until December 11.
The Pune police probe has revealed alarming details. Their investigation indicates that the original 272 watandars did not receive any money from the Rs 300 crore transaction. Police are investigating whether Tejwani personally accepted the entire amount. Furthermore, it was found that despite making several unsuccessful attempts since 2013 to get the land regranted, Tejwani allegedly filed an application in November 2020 with the Additional Collector, Pune, falsely stating that the land had been regranted to the original watandars when no such order existed.
The Pimpri Chinchwad police have now applied to the court for a production warrant to secure Tejwani's custody once her remand with Pune city police ends. The arrest of the government official involved in registering the deed marks a crucial turn in the probe, which continues to examine the roles of all accused in the alleged illegal transfer of protected land.
