Pune, Nov 8 (NationPress) Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Ajit Pawar stated on Saturday that had he been aware of the land deal in Pune's high-end Mundhwa-Koregaon Park concerning his son Parth Pawar, he would have intervened to prevent it.

He remarked that the sale deed does not apply to this type of land (Mahar Watan), and there will now be a need to investigate how the transaction occurred.

Furthermore, he mentioned that a committee, led by Vikas Kharge, the Additional Chief Secretary of the state Revenue Department, will conduct a comprehensive investigation into this issue.

His comments came after he announced the cancellation of a sale deed for a transaction involving 40 acres of land valued at Rs 300 crore in the Mundhwa-Koregaon Park area, which is linked to his son’s company, Amedea Enterprises LLP. This incident has sparked significant controversy in state politics.

It was also revealed that the stamp duty of Rs 21 crore was waived for this sale deed.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawar emphasized, "The state government must not suffer due to such transactions. Some individuals have shown audacity, and the truth will surface through the inquiry regarding how this occurred. It is perplexing how a transaction that cannot be registered was executed. We must investigate whether there was any external pressure involved in this case."

In a separate land deal from Pune's Bopodi area concerning his son, he stated, "We had no affiliations with anyone in Bopodi, yet our family's name surfaced. Had I been aware, I would have prevented it from proceeding."

He confirmed that the six-member committee led by the state's Revenue Department Additional Chief Secretary will thoroughly investigate, with the truth expected to emerge.

When questioned about why an FIR was not filed against Parth Pawar, Deputy CM Pawar explained, "I noticed Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule's statement indicating that an FIR has been filed against those present in the registration office during this transaction. The facts will be revealed within a month once the investigation concludes."

Interestingly, the FIR does not directly implicate Parth Pawar but names three individuals accused of collusion.

The FIR lists Digvijay Patil, the authorized signatory of Amedea Enterprises LLP; Shital Tejwani, Parth Pawar's cousin and power of attorney holder for the original landowners' descendants; and Ravindra Taru, the sub-registrar who facilitated the registration.

The Revenue Department has already suspended Taru and Tehsildar Suryakant Yewale due to their involvement in the transaction.

Earlier, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's uncle and NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar commented on the Pune land deal controversy connected to Parth Pawar's Amedea Enterprises LLP, stating that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has acknowledged its seriousness, necessitating an inquiry to unveil the truth.

Pawar added, "I cannot comment further. However, since the Chief Minister has deemed it a significant issue, an inquiry must take place to present the facts before the public."

"The state government has established an inquiry committee for this purpose. We should await the committee's report to uncover the related issues."