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Journalism of Courage
Even as the verbal duel between Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol and Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar escalated on Saturday with the latter threatening to come out with more expose, the Aam Aadmi Party has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a “thorough and impartial probe” into the Jain Trust property transaction.
In a letter to the Prime Minister sent on Saturday, AAP state vice-president Vijay Kumbhar, who is also a social activist, also demanded an investigation into the roles of Gokhale Landmarks LLP, two cooperative credit societies, and all officials involved.
“We urge the Prime Minister to institute a probe into the alleged irregularities in the Jain trust property transactions in Pune…At the same time, we also urge the Prime Minister to examine the involvement of Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol in the matter and take appropriate action if any misuse of position or conflict of interest is established,” the AAP said.
”I am writing to bring to your attention a serious matter involving irregularities in the property transactions of a Jain Trust in Pune and the possible involvement of Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol. The facts of the case raise grave concerns about propriety, misuse of position, and violation of multiple laws,” Kumbhar said in the letter.
The land in question, approximately three acres belonging to Hirachand Nemchand Doshi Memorial Trust located at Model Colony, Pune, was purchased by a firm named Gokhale Landmarks LLP by flouting several legal and procedural norms.
“It has been revealed that two Multi-State Cooperative Credit Societies, one from Buldhana and another from Karnataka, provided financial assistance for this transaction in violation of applicable cooperative regulations. These institutions failed to perform basic due diligence before extending such a large loan, indicating possible external influence or pressure,” Kumbhar said.
The activist said, “Multi-State Co-operative Societies are governed by the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002, a Central legislation under the purview of the Union government. The concerned Minister of State for Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, therefore, bears administrative oversight over these institutions.
It is further a matter of public record that Murlidhar Mohol promoted Gokhale Landmarks LLP’s project ‘Gokhale Business Bay’ and publicly acknowledged his close friendship with the partners of the firm. Election affidavits submitted by Mohol during the Lok Sabha elections indicate that he was or has been a partner in certain companies associated with the Gokhale group.” Kumbhar said the records show that he was a designated partner 50% in Gokhale Estates LLP, another company linked with Gokhale Landmarks LLP, sharing the same address and contact details.
“Thus, his claim of having no connection with these companies appears misleading. Additionally, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has initiated legal action against Gokhale Landmarks LLP for violations under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act. The projects ‘Gokhale Business Bay’ and ‘Tejkunj’ were found to have used a single bank account for multiple projects contrary to RERA norms requiring 70% of funds to be separately maintained per project. Despite repeated notices (including the one dated March 16, 2023), the promoter failed to respond, leading to suspension of project registration, freezing of related HDFC bank accounts, and prohibition on further sale or registration of flats. The projects are still in abeyance,” he alleged.
Despite these clear violations, Kumbhar said the Cooperative Credit Societies approved substantial funding (nearly ₹70 crore) for Gokhale Landmarks LLP without adequate scrutiny and even relinquished their mortgage rights later.
”This sequence strongly suggests irregular influence or pressure in the financing process.
Given that these Cooperative Credit Societies fall directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Cooperation, which Murlidhar Mohol currently oversees as Minister of State, his role and influence in this entire episode raise serious ethical and legal questions.
Instead of ensuring accountability and ordering an impartial probe into the financial and regulatory violations, Mohol has distanced himself from the matter, despite clear evidence of conflict of interest. His failure to initiate action against the erring institutions and individuals undermine the credibility of the ministry and public trust in cooperative governance,” Kumbhar said.
Meanwhile, the verbal war between Mohol and Dhangekar continued on Saturday as well. As soon as Mohol called on a Jain Muni on Saturday, Dhangekar wasted no time in taking a jibe.
“I have been repeatedly saying that I am not involved in this matter. Every community has a religious seer. They are respected by one and all. Today, I came to seek his blessings. If I were guilty, I would not have come here. I am sure, there will be proper justice in this matter,” said Mohol.
Dhangekar then tweeted: ”Either save Jain temple or save your ministerial post.” This was what the seniors in the party told Mohol yesterday. And today, he quickly rushed to seek blessings of the Jain Muni. He remembered the Jain seer as many as 18 days after the community highlighted its plight. When the fence has eaten the crop, who will ensure justice?”
“Mohol has ensured that his company benefits from the deal. Now he is finding it difficult to cancel the deal. Hope he will soon return the land of Jain community which he has grabbed,” Dhangekar said.
