Parth’s company tried to seize Mundhwa plot: Damania

Amadea Enterprises allegedly sent bouncers to take control of the property and sought police assistance when blocked

MUMBAI: Even as a high-power committee investigates the controversial Mundhwa land deal linked to Parth Pawar, son of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, allegations are being made that Parth’s company Amadea Enterprises had attempted to seize the plot with police support.

Anjali Damania (HT Photo)

While making these allegations on Wednesday, social activist Anjali Damania also demanded that Ajit Pawar resign as deputy chief minister and Pune’s guardian minister, to allow an impartial investigation.

Addressing the media, Damania claimed that Amadea Enterprises had sent “bouncers” to the 40-acre plot in Pune to take control of the property on June 16, 2025, less than a month after the allegedly unauthorised sale deed was registered.

The land, owned by the government, has been leased to the Botanical Survey of India. When Amadea’s guards were barred from entering the property, the company’s advocate had called the Mundhwa police, seeking police assistance in getting the property vacated.

Reading out station diary entries, Damania said a police team had visited the site and said the dispute should be resolved through the intervention of the revenue authorities or a civil court.

When HT asked Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar to comment, all he said was that a diary entry had been made at the police station and it was in the public domain.

Damania has also demanded that Parth Pawar’s whereabouts be ascertained between 1 pm and 4.30 pm on the day Amadea attempted to allegedly seize the property. “The cell phone tower location of Parth Pawar on that day must be tracked,” she said.

NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan said, “There is no truth to the allegations made by her. There is an inquiry and it is wrong to ask for Parth Pawar’s location. She can go to court if the report is unsatisfactory. I want Damania’s call data records to be examined and her relatives to be probed. Who is she? Is she a police officer? She is diverting attention.’’

A resolute Damania said he would make oral and written submissions to the committee headed by additional chief secretary (revenue) Vikas Kharge, appointed to probe the case. “I will them what has not been done, what needs to be done,’’ she said.

Damania also said that five of the six government officials on the Kharge committee were from Pune and need to be removed from the panel as Ajit Pawar is guardian minister of the district and they could be under pressure.

The controversial Mundhwa land deal relates to the allegedly illegal registration of a sale deed by Amadea Enterprises in May this year. Since the property is government-owned, it cannot be sold to a private party and yet a sale deed was registered in favour of Parth’s company. Moreover, ₹21 crore in stamp duty was waived as the company claimed it wanted to set up an IT park on the land.

Damania on Wednesday, made further allegations relating to ownership of the land. The property is Mahar Watan land and does not belong to a certain Gaikwad family, as claimed by the family. Damania said the property was originally allotted to them, then taken back when the Mahar Watan law was repealed and never restored. Yet, she said, the Gaikwad family had given power of attorney (POA) to a certain Shital Tejwani for the deal with Amadea.

“The POA was unregistered and Tejwani had no authority to act,” she said. “She paid a fee of ₹11,000 on December 30, 2024, and wrote to the then collector about the deal.

Damania claimed that Tejwani had sought POA from 272 individuals, shown as original landowners, by allegedly paying them nominal sums. She later allegedly sold the land to Amadea Enterprises, the social activist claimed.