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Activist complained about Koregaon Park land deal as early as June

Dinkar Kotkar claims he was threatened to withdraw his complaint by a person claiming to be Parth Pawar’s assistant

3 min readPuneNov 9, 2025 12:54 AM IST

Koregaon Park land deal, Koregaon Park, pune land deal, Chhava Kamgar Union, Dinkar Kotkar, Parth Pawar, Pune news, Pune, Maharashtra news, Indian express, current affairs

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth

Dinkar Kotkar, an activist and president of the Chhava Kamgar Union, had filed a complaint about the multi-crore land deal involving Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth in June this year, after he got hold of documents that said only Rs 500 stamp duty had been paid in place of the expected Rs 21 crore. He said he received no updates about any action taken on his complaint filed to Joint District Registrar (JDR) Santosh Hingane’s office.

Hingane confirmed to The Indian Express that the complaint had been received. “The JDR had initiated a probe following the receipt of the complaint and issued two notices to Sheetal Tejwani, who holds the power of attorney of the Mahar Watan land on behalf of the original 272 Watandars,” said Hingane.

Kotkar shared a copy of the complaint filed on June 5 this year, carrying a received stamp of the JDR office clerk. Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “I am into social work and frequently get such kinds of papers. I got the Index II (document generated by the Sub-Registrar Office summarizing the registration of property-related documents) of the Koregaon Park land, and being in the business of real estate, I realised that a deal of Rs 300 crore should have a stamp duty of Rs 21 crore. But only Rs 500 stamp duty has been paid. I already knew that survey number 88 is Mahar Watan land.”

“I had actually been approached for some work regarding addition of names of the original owners to the land two years ago, but could not do it. I was already aware of the nature of the land,” said Kotkar.

The activist said he was not aware that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth was linked with the land deal as the document does not contain his name. The transaction took place between Sheetal Tejwani, who holds the power of attorney on behalf of the 272 original owners of the Mahar Watan land, and Digvijay Amarsinh Patil, director of Amadea Enterprises LLP. Parth Pawar is also the director of this firm.

Kotkar says he got the document around May 25, a few days after the document was made, and he filed a complaint at the JDR office on June 5. “I even wrote a reminder letter when I got no response on the complaint. Some time later, a man claiming to be Parth Pawar’s assistant accosted me and threatened me to withdraw the complaint and not get involved in the matter,” he said.

Kotkar said he has filed 10-15 complaints regarding land matters to the registration office but only one has resulted in an investigation and payment of the duty. “I have not been informed about action taken on any other complaint I have filed so far,” he said.

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Over the past two days, FIRs have been filed against Tejwani, Patil, and government officials who facilitated the Koregaon Park land deal. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that the deal now stands cancelled.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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