Mundhwa land deal: Change in Duty Act won’t give relief to Parth Pawar, say govt officials

When contacted, Satyanarayan Bajaj, Joint Secretary in the revenue department, said, “The amended  Act will not have restrospective effect. It will have prospective effect. It will take a few more days to come into effect. It will go to the Law and Judiciary department and then a notification will be issued.”

Revenue officials said, “The Act amendment was pending for months. The file was approved during the tenure of the previous minister. If the Act had been amended last year, then Parth Pawar would have had the opportunity to appeal to the government directly.”

Raising doubts, Vijay Kumbhar, vice-president of the Aam Aadmi Party, said, “If the Act had been passed last year, it means Parth Pawar would have got full waiver on stamp duty as he would have then run to the government or his father with an appeal. But in this case before the land controversy came to light, Parth paid only Rs 500 and there was no need for him to appeal. It was only when the controversy erupted did he felt the need to appeal, which now has forced the government to hurriedly get the bill passed. This shows how the government goes all out to protect its leaders and ministers.”

In the Mundhwa land deal, the Parth Pawar-owned firm, Amadea Enterprises, paid only Rs 500 stamp duty in the purchase of government land worth Rs 1,800 crore for Rs 300 crore. After the controversy erupted, Parth was served a notice to pay Rs 21 crore stamp duty for executing the deal. In case he wants to cancel the deal as his father, Ajit Pawar, announced, then he will have to pay an additional Rs 21 crore. Parth has so far not paid the amount.

Kumbhar said the government claimed it intended to provide relief to ordinary citizens in stamp duty–related disputes while passing the Maharashtra Stamp (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025. Under this new provision, any person aggrieved by an order of the Chief Controlling Revenue Authority in stamp duty matters can now file a direct appeal before the state government within 60 days, instead of approaching the High Court through a writ petition.

An appeal fee of Rs 1,000 has been prescribed. Most critically, the State Government’s decision will be final, leaving no scope for further judicial review.

Kumbhar added, “Revenue Minister says the change will reduce the burden on the High Court, save citizens’ time and legal expenses, and ensure faster recovery of stalled government revenue. However, against the backdrop of the Mundhwa land scam, this decision raises serious concerns. Shifting appeals from judiciary to the political executive may encourage political interference and could potentially open the door to future land and stamp duty scams.”

Atul Londhe, chief spokesperson of the Maharashtra Congress said, “It is hoped that the Act is not made applicable with retrospective effect. If it is done, then the good conscience of the government will come under the scanner. It will reveal that the government had done it to help one particular person.”

Speaking on the Bill during the Assembly session. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated the amendment will reduce the burden of pending cases on the High Court, save time and expenses for citizens, and enable faster release of blocked government revenue.

The Bill also makes consequential amendments to Section 32A and Section 53 of the Act.

During the discussion, MLAs Bhaskar Jadhav and Atul Bhatkhalkar shared their views, following which the House passed the Bill unanimously.

The amendment is expected to ensure quicker justice for citizens and streamline administrative processes in stamp duty matters,” Bawankule said.