HC asks if Parth did not benefit from Mundhwa land deal

The Bombay High Court on Thursday orally asked the Maharashtra government if Parth Pawar, son of Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar, was not a beneficiary in the Mundhwa land deal case as he holds 99 per cent stake in the firm that bought the state plot at a heavily discounted price.

Parth Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, is a majority partner in Amadea Enterprises LLP, which purchased a 40-acre government-owned land parcel in Pune’s upscale Mundhwa area at a price much lower than its actual value.
A single bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar said a person who holds 1 per cent share in the company has been made an accused in the case, but the probe was silent on the person (Parth Pawar) who holds 99 per cent of the shares in the firm.

The court poised this question while granting pre-arrest bail to Pune Tehsildar Suryakant Yewale,  named an accused in the case for allegedly misusing his official position to facilitate the controversial transaction. Yewale has denied any role in the transaction and claimed he has been falsely implicated.

The court last month sought the Maharashtra’s Director General of Police (DGP)’s response to a submission made by Yewale in his plea that Parth Pawar was not named an accused in the case as he was a highly influential person.
DGP Sadanand Date, in his affidavit submitted to the court, said there was a need for a more professional and detailed investigation and hence instructions have been issued to the Pune Commissioner of Police to carry out further probe in the matter.

The court on Thursday accepted the statement, but questioned the police probe.