Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, has been ordered to pay the full stamp duty of Rs 21 crore with an additional fine of Rs 1.47 crore in the controversial sale of the 40-acre land in Pune's upscale Mundhwa area. The Maharashtra Department of Registration and Stamps has charged additional interest for the last seven months.
The order came after the Department investigated the land transaction case in Mundhwa - sold by Sheetal Tejwani to Amadea company.
The longer Parth's company takes to pay the interest, the fine will be increased.
A deadline of 60 days has been given to the company.
The company had purchased the 40-acre plot in Pune's upscale Mundhwa area for around Rs 300 crore, despite its market value being a whopping Rs 1,804 crore, raising allegations of undue concessions given to the minister's son. The firm also received a stamp duty waiver just two days after the deal, citing that a data centre could come up on the land.
The company had paid just Rs 500 as stamp duty on the Rs 300 crore transaction.
Additionally, the land deal fell under the 'Watan' category - reserved for the Mahar community, a Scheduled Caste. Such a land cannot be sold under the Bombay Inferior Village Watans Abolition Act, 1958, without government permission.
The controversy became a target of the Opposition, with leaders demanding that the land be returned to the government and a criminal case be filed. It further snowballed into a national issue when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the issue a "land theft by the government".
What the Pawars said
Ajit Pawar said that his son was not aware that it was government land. He also denied that his office had any knowledge about the transaction, adding that they thought the land was within the bounds of law.
"The sale deed should not have been executed. The registrar should not have done it. When I learnt of it, I said whoever is involved, it should be examined properly," he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister also advised his son to "treat this as a learning experience" and examine all proposals thoroughly in the future.
