Minister Ramdas Athawale Emphasizes Legal Process in Maharashtra's Mahar Watan Land Controversy Involving Parth Pawar

Mumbai:

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, has emphasized that legal processes must be followed in the Koregaon Mahar Watan land controversy allegedly involving Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

In his interview with NDTV, Athawale confirmed that Mahar Watan land is legally protected and cannot be transferred without proper consent from rightful owners and mandatory government approval.

The case involves a 43-acre government plot in Pune's Koregaon, historically designated as Mahar Watan land, which was reportedly being transferred to Amadea Developers, a company connected to Parth Pawar. The proposed transfer value was approximately Rs 300 crore, significantly below the land's estimated market value of Rs 1,800 crore.

Although the financial transaction was never completed, official documentation reveals that preparations for the transfer had been arranged.

Local revenue officials, including the tehsildar, had facilitated the potential ownership claim by the company, which has a capital of only one lakh rupees, by permitting a nominal stamp duty payment of Rs 500 – a significant departure from standard procedures for high-value land transactions.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has initiated an official inquiry into the matter.

As confirmed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the investigation committee comprises the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue), Pune Divisional Commissioner, District Collector, Settlement Commissioner, and Inspector General of Registration.

"Law is more important than a person. If he is wrong, action will be taken. Such transactions should not happen," stated Athawale. He advised against politicizing the issue and indicated that the investigation would determine future actions.

When questioned about potential Atrocities Act charges against Parth Pawar, Athawale clarified that this would depend on formal complaints being filed. "For the Act to apply, those affected need to file an official complaint that they were cheated," he explained.

Meanwhile, NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar, who has been critical of the government on other issues, questioned the swiftness of action in this particular case. "If Parth Pawar has done something wrong, there is no question of backing him. But why is there such fast action only in this case?" he asked.

"We have exposed several other corruption cases. Why is there no inquiry into those? There is a Rs 5,000-crore CIDCO corruption case, why is no action being taken on that?" he added.

Athawale called for a comprehensive policy solution, noting that similar cases have occurred throughout the state, and a clear regulatory framework is necessary to prevent future disputes.