E-Paper
Pune land deals: Suspended tehsildar Suryakant Yeole gets interim bail
Sessions court in Pune has granted ad-interim pre-arrest bail to tehsildar Suryakant Gulabrao Yeole suspended by state revenue department for allegedly passing two illegal land transfer orders
Pune: A sessions court in Pune has granted ad-interim pre-arrest bail to tehsildar Suryakant Gulabrao Yeole, revenue tribunal official, whose alleged misuse of quasi-judicial powers is central to an ongoing corruption probe involving two disputed orders that purportedly transferred state-owned land to private parties.
The relief was granted on November 13 by the in-charge district judge-1 and additional sessions judge, Pune, while hearing Yeole’s criminal anticipatory bail plea. The copy of the order was made available on Saturday.
Yeole was recently suspended by the state revenue department for allegedly passing two illegal orders in his capacity as an agricultural land tribunal, effectively granting ownership of government land parcels to private individuals.
One of the orders relates to a 40-acre land parcel in Mundhwa, granted in favour of Digivijay Patil, a partner in Amadea Enterprises LLP, where deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar is also a partner. The order also involved Sheetal Tejwani, the power of attorney (PoA) holder for the parcel.
The second order concerns 5.35 hectares of agricultural department land, allegedly granted to Hemant Gawande, power of attorney (PoA) holder for Vision Property, along with five others. Gawande is the same complainant from the controversial 2016 Bhosari MIDC land case that resulted in the resignation of then revenue minister Eknath Khadse over allegations of misuse of office.
Following directions from the Pune Sub-Divisional Officer, Naib Tehsildar Pravina S Borde lodged a complaint on November 14 at Khadak police station against Yeole, Gawande, Patil, Tejwani and five others.
Arguing for bail, Yeole’s counsel, Adv Harshad Nimbalkar, maintained that his client had been falsely implicated. He argued that the orders passed by Yeole, in his capacity as a revenue tribunal authority, were strictly within his quasi-judicial jurisdiction under the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Land Act. Nimbalkar pointed out that Yeole’s decision is already under challenge before the appellate authority and is therefore sub judice. He further cited Section 84 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, arguing that quasi-judicial decisions cannot be questioned in civil or criminal proceedings.
The defence also submitted that no allegations of unlawful gain or personal enrichment had been made against Yeole. Offences relating to forgery, Nimbalkar argued, were inapplicable as Yeole had neither deceived anyone nor induced changes to any property or documents. He maintained that actions taken in a quasi-judicial capacity cannot amount to participation in a criminal conspiracy, and alleged that the prosecution was initiated with an ulterior motive.
The order stated: “In the event of arrest, applicant Suryakant Gulabrao Yewale shall be released on ad-interim pre-arrest bail on execution of PB & SB of ₹1,00,000 with one or two sureties of like amount in connection with the case registered with Khadak police station for offences punishable under Sections 201, 316(2), 316(5), 318(3), 318(4), 336(3), 336(4), 338, 340(2), 61(2), 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023...”
The court has issued notice to the investigating officer, returnable on November 20.
