Botanical garden to IT park to sale: Land linked to Ajit Pawar son was govt property

The chronology of how the 40-acre land changed hands shows that in less than 13 months after the Pawar-Patil partnership Amadea Enterprises LLP secured a Letter of Intent from Pune’s District Industries Centre on April 24, 2024, it entered into a Rs 300-crore sale deed on May 19, 2025, with Tejwani, who holds the power of attorney on behalf of 272 original owners of the 40-acre watan land belonging to the Mahar (now Scheduled Caste) community. Prior to Independence, villages in the state followed the watan system under which specific castes or families received land or revenue rights instead of cash for certain services.

On April 22, 2024, Amadea Enterprises LLP moved an application with the District Industries Centre in Pune signed by both Parth Pawar and Digvijay Patil to set up an IT park under the category of LoI/ Registrations to IT/ITES Parks. In just two days, the LoI was issued by the Pune DIC on April 24. This was then used by the company to claim stamp duty waiver and conclude the sale deed with Tejwani.

The policy to allow stamp waivers was cleared by the Eknath Shinde-led Sena-BJP government in May 2023, just two months before Ajit Pawar joined hands with the alliance. The policy allowed 100 per cent stamp duty remission for purchasing land to set up new data centres in the state. A notification to this effect was issued on February 1, 2024.

The land in question is currently leased to the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), a Central government organisation that documents the country’s plant diversity. A botanical garden was proposed last year on this land parcel. The BSI lease expires only in 2038, and when it does, the land is to be returned to its owner.

On September 13, 1955, 17.51 hectare (43.26 acre), then referred to as watan land was taken over by the state government, allegedly over non-payment of taxes. It was handed over on lease for a botanical garden with the establishment of BSI’s western regional centre on December 12, 1955. The lease was extended for 50 years in 1988.

State government sources probing the alleged irregularities said extension of lease post 2038 was subject to the regrant of the land to its original owners. In fact, Tejwani, who held the power of attorney, was authorised to work on every issue related to the said land, including applying for the regrant as well as all legal procedures such as filing affidavits, giving undertakings, looking after the land development, representing them before the authorities.

On Friday, Fadnavis said the criminal case in the Mahar Watan land deal will continue even after the land deal is scrapped – the ending of the deal was announced by Ajit Pawar.

“Strong action will be taken against all those responsible in the case. As per the information I have, the land deal was done but the money transaction was pending. The registry was complete. Both sides have now sought cancellation of the registry application. As per the application, they will have to make the payment. Even if you have to scrap a registry, you have to make the payment. Accordingly, they have been served notice,” Fadnavis said.

“All the irregularities related to the case will be taken to a logical end. All those responsible for it will face further action. Along with this, there is a parallel enquiry under an Additional Chief Secretary-led committee which will submit a report in a month. Based on the report, the scope of the matter and whether more people are involved would be ascertained,” he said.

“The police have already arrested two persons in this case. The probe will be done and nobody will be spared,” he said.

Battling allegations, Ajit Pawar told reporters: “Not a single paisa was exchanged in the land deal. The sale deed now stands cancelled. A six-member committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge has been formed to look into the alleged irregularities and will submit its report within a month. I expect the committee to function in a transparent manner without political pressure.”