MUMBAI: Joint chief executive officer of MHADA Vandana Suryavanshi is facing a departmental inquiry in a faulty adjudication case that caused a loss of ₹49.31 crore in stamp duty to the state exchequer. The issue dates back to 2012, when, as the district stamp duty officer in Pune, she allegedly assessed a land parcel at a rate much lower than its market value.
An audit conducted later by the Mumbai office of the stamp duty department found a shortfall of ₹67.74 crore in stamp duty collection. However, a revision under the Stamp Duty Act pegged the loss to the exchequer at ₹49.31 crore.
After the alleged irregularity came to light, a departmental inquiry ordered by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule was initiated a few weeks ago, and Suryavanshi was served a notice. “This is a sub judice matter, and as per Supreme Court rulings in the past, no inquiry can be conducted in such cases,” she told HT, refusing to comment further on the issue.
Officials said this was not an isolated case, and several such irregularities had been detected in the past. “Officers sometimes favour landowners by assessing land at lower values, resulting in a lower stamp duty liability,” said an officer.
In the present case, the landowner too approached the court, which stayed any coercive action by the government. The landowner argued that the adjudication carried out by Suryavanshi at the time was correct, and challenged the notice demanding additional stamp duty based on the gap between the duty originally levied and the revised valuation during the audit. “The court order, however, does not prevent the government from initiating action in cases involving irregularities or corruption,” said a revenue department official.
{{/usCountry}}In the present case, the landowner too approached the court, which stayed any coercive action by the government. The landowner argued that the adjudication carried out by Suryavanshi at the time was correct, and challenged the notice demanding additional stamp duty based on the gap between the duty originally levied and the revised valuation during the audit. “The court order, however, does not prevent the government from initiating action in cases involving irregularities or corruption,” said a revenue department official.
{{/usCountry}}The officer said the case was raked up owing to the tussle between Bawankule and Eknath Shinde. “Suryavanshi was recently transferred to Jalna but got the order cancelled by Shinde, who is also the housing minister and controls MHADA,” said another officer. “This did not go down well with Bawankule. The inquiry against Suryavanshi was initiated after this.”
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