Minister accused of misusing position to obtain prime industrial plot without auction

State social justice minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat has been accused of obtaining five acres of prime land at Shendra Five Star Industrial Area of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad) by misusing his position.

MUMBAI: State social justice minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat has been accused of obtaining five acres of prime land at Shendra Five Star Industrial Area of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad) by misusing his position. The accusation has come from former MP and AIMIM leader Imtiyaz Jaleel who alleged that the land was allotted to the minister’s son Siddhant by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) without following the due process, which includes auction. The reservation for a truck terminus on the plot was also changed before the allotment.

Mumbai, India – June 02, 2025: Maharashtra Minister for Social Justice, Sanjay Shirsat, addresses the media at his residence in Mumbai on Monday, June 02, 2025. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/ Hindustan Times)

Jaleel on Wednesday alleged that Shirsat misused his position to buy five more properties in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar between September 2024 and January 2025, at much cheaper prices than the prevailing rates. He also shared the documents of the land dealings. such as sale deeds, stamp duty and registration fees receipts which state that the properties were bought in the name of Shirsat’s sons, Siddhant and Tushar, as well as his wife, Vijaya.

According to the documents shared by Jaleel, a plot of land measuring 21,275 square meter was allotted to Siddhant Shirsat for setting up a manufacturing unit of chemicals for absolute alcohol, rectified spirit and extra neutral alcohol, for ₹6,09,40,200 on December 28, 2023, for a period of 95 years. The said plot was allotted four months after its reservation was changed to industrial use as it was reserved for a truck terminus. The order for changing the reservation was issued by the minor modification committee (MMC) of MIDC on August 24, 2024.

Jaleel emphasised that the MIDC should have auctioned the plot as per its rules. “An industrial area, where more than 80% plots are allotted, the remaining plots shall be allotted by way of auction, according to the guidelines of land allotment system of MIDC. Since Shirsat was interested in the plot, it was allotted to them without following the rules,” the former MP said, adding, “Not only this, MIDC also dereserved the plot ignoring the fact that there is an urgent need to build a truck terminus on it.”

Demanding investigation into the matter, Jaleel has sought time from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and governor CP Radhakrishnan to hand over the documents to them. He is ready to approach the enforcement directorate (ED), central bureau of investigation (CBI), income tax department (IT) and anti-corruption bureau (ACB) if the state government does not act on his demand.

“I am preparing to go to court in case the matter is not investigated by any of them,” he informed.

Reacting to the allegations, Shirsat told mediapersons: “I don’t want to comment on the allegations made by him (Jaleel) as I don’t care about such people. I will take appropriate legal action against him.”

Shirsat, a senior Shiv Sena leader and a close associate of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, was made social justice minister after Mahayuti returned to power last year.

Last month, Shirsat was embroiled in another controversy when opposition leader in legislative council, Ambadas Danve, alleged that a company of Shirsat’s son Siddhant was buying a star hotel in Sambhaji Nagar for ₹67 crore in an auction. He had raised suspicion over the auction process and had also sought to know how Siddhant could manage to mobilise such a big amount when his income tax returns showed his annual income as ₹54 lakh. Following the controversy, Shirsat announced that his son was withdrawing from the auction process.