Animal husbandry dept moves court to cancel illegal sale of 15-acre Tathawade plot
The land was allegedly sold illegally in a private transaction for just ₹33 crore, despite state rules classifying it as non-transferable without prior government approval
The Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Department on Monday approached the Pune civil court seeking the cancellation of a sale deed for a 15-acre (6.32-hectare) government-owned plot in Tathawade, Pimpri-Chinchwad. The land was allegedly sold illegally in a private transaction for just ₹33 crore, despite state rules classifying it as non-transferable without prior government approval.
“The papers have been handed over to the government pleader, and the application process has been completed. The petition was scheduled to be filed before the civil court on Monday (December 8),” said Amol Sharad Aher, acting farm manager at the Government Animal Breeding Centre, Tathawade.
The sale deed (No. 685/2025), executed on January 9, 2025, at the Haveli-17 Sub-Registrar Office, relied on an outdated 7/12 extract from June 2023, which did not reflect the land’s government status. A revised 7/12 extract issued in February 2025 confirmed the plot belonged to the Animal Husbandry Department, noting that it could not be sold or purchased without state approval. The deed was allegedly processed after the sub-registrar used the “skip/keep” option in the registration software, bypassing mandatory verification.
Following the incident, the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) suspended Vidya Shankar Bade (Sangle), Senior Clerk and Acting Sub-Registrar (Class II) of Haveli-17. The suspension, under Rule 4 of the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1979, followed a joint inquiry by the IGR and the District Registrar, which uncovered procedural lapses and violations of transfer restrictions.
The Animal Husbandry Department has now filed a civil suit seeking formal cancellation of the sale deed after private buyers refused to mutually annul the transaction. The department has also requested the court to mark the plot as “disputed” in government records and reverse the mutation entry to restore state ownership.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against 26 individuals, including the sub-registrar, clerks, and private buyers, at Dapodi police station under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate. The charges include forgery, cheating, and fraud.
Officials said the land has been under the department’s possession since 1945–46 and has consistently been marked in records as “government property, non-transferable without prior government permission.” The illegal transfer was discovered during a routine departmental inspection earlier this year.
“The move underscores that government land cannot be alienated by bypassing procedures. We will pursue cancellation of the deed and ensure the land remains in government possession,” the farm manager added.
