Pune land deal row: BSI issues eviction notice to Ajit Pawar’s son’s firm

Pune: Days after a controversial ₹300-crore land deal in Pune involving a firm linked to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son, a now-suspended tehsildar issued an eviction notice to the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), a long-time occupant of the property.

Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi has termed the notice “illegal”.

According to official documents accessed by PTI, the land in question, a 40-acre ‘Mahar Watan’ plot in the city’s upscale Mundhwa area, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, where Parth Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s son, is the majority partner. The sale deed was executed on May 20, 2025.

The deal, allegedly struck without necessary clearances, has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition, which claims the land’s market value was around ₹1,800 crore.

Six days after the sale, then tehsildar Suryakant Yeole issued an eviction notice to the BSI, stating that the company had “legally acquired” the property and that the central agency’s lease had ended under a “re-grant” clause.

“It is appropriate and necessary for your office to formally notify the Botanical Survey of India, Pune, directing it to vacate the land immediately, as the lease agreement now stands terminated,” Yeole wrote to the BSI’s joint director on June 9.

The land was originally leased to the BSI in 1973, initially for 15 years, and later extended by 50 years from 1988, at an annual rent of Re 1.

Yeole, later suspended for alleged irregularities in another land case, informed the sub-divisional officer in July about his correspondence with the BSI, claiming the lease had ended.

Following the notice, a BSI team met with the Pune Collector, who intervened to halt further action and initiated an inquiry against Yeole.

Collector Dudi said Yeole acted on claims from 272 self-proclaimed ‘watandars’ (hereditary landholders) who alleged they had paid the “occupancy price” to reclaim the government land. Amadea Enterprises reportedly purchased the land from Shital Tejwani, who represented these claimants through a power of attorney.

However, Dudi clarified that the process was entirely unlawful.

“The entire process of issuing an eviction notice was illegal. I wrote to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and asked him to take necessary action, and the process of eviction and physical handover of the land to Amadea Enterprises LLP did not take place,” he said.

He added that the tehsildar had failed to follow the official procedure for re-granting government land.

Despite a stamp duty waiver of ₹21 crore, the land continues to be listed under government ownership.

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has since announced that the deal has been scrapped, claiming that his son Parth was unaware the property was government-owned.

Following a complaint by the Inspector General of Registration, the Pimpri Chinchwad police registered an FIR against Digvijay Patil, Shital Tejwani, and sub-registrar RB Taru, all accused of misappropriation and cheating. Taru has also been suspended.

PTI inputs