MAHARASHTRA Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday said the Vikas Kharge-led committee probing the alleged Pune land scam has not yet submitted its report, ruling out a clean chit to anyone at this stage. He was responding to questions tied to media reports claiming relief to the late deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar in the matter. The sale of 40 acres of land in Pune’s upscale Mundhwa area for Rs 300 crore to Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Parth Pawar is a majority partner, had come under scrutiny after it emerged that the plot belongs to the Government and could not be sold. The firm was also allegedly exempted from paying Rs 21 crore in stamp duty. Bawankule said the committee has sought an eight-day extension to submit its findings, and the Government will grant the request.

 

“The report has not been officially submitted to the State Government. Therefore, there is no scope for giving a clean chit to Parth Pawar or anyone else. I urge people not to speculate on such a serious issue and confuse the public,” he said. The five-member committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Vikas Kharge, is examining alleged procedural lapses in the registration of the purchase deed related to the Mundhwa land. The probe focuses on aspects such as valuation, documentation and the role of officials involved in the registration process. The panel was constituted in early November amid political controversy and was initially asked to submit its report by December 6 last year. The deadline was later extended twice after the committee sought more time to examine records and responses from multiple departments.

 

While earlier indications suggested the panel could submit its report by February 6, Bawankule said on Thursday that an additional extension would now be granted. The committee also includes the Pune Divisional Commissioner, the Commissioner of Land Registration and Director of Land Records, the Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps, and the Pune District Collector. Meanwhile, Pune-based RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar criticised the repeated extensions, alleging that the probe was being delayed and could eventually turn into a formality. In a post on X, Kumbhar claimed that those responsible for preventing alleged irregularities were themselves part of the committee, making a fair outcome unlikely. He also raised questions over alleged unpaid stamp duty, arguing that public revenue could not be protected by “clean chits” or shell entities.

 

Social activist Anjali Damania has also questioned the delay in the inquiry. In a post on X earlier this month, she had said that if Government functioning was treated as “business as usual” following Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash, the investigation into the Mundhwa land deal should not be stalled. She demanded that the committee’s report be made public without delay. The State Government, however, has maintained that appropriate action will be taken after the report is formally submitted.