Kharge-led Committee to Submit Mundhwa Land Deal Report by February 6

The five-member committee probing alleged irregularities in a land purchase deed in Mundhwa is expected to submit its report to the state government by February 6, 2024. According to officials from the revenue department, the inquiry is complete and the report is in the final stages. There is no indication that the panel will ask for more time, a senior official, who did not wish to be named, said.

The committee, headed by additional chief secretary (revenue) Vikas Kharge, is examining alleged procedural lapses in the registration of a land purchase deed related to survey no. 88 at Mouje Mundhwa in Pune. This transaction is linked to Parth Pawar, the son of late deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. The probe focuses on issues such as valuation, documentation, and the role of officials involved in the registration.

The panel was constituted in early November amid a political controversy and was initially asked to submit its report by December 6, 2024. The deadline was first extended to January 6 and subsequently by another month after the committee sought additional time to scrutinize records and responses from multiple offices. Following Ajit Pawar's accidental death in a plane crash, there were doubts if the panel would meet the deadline. However, officials confirmed that they are on track to submit the findings by February 6.

Besides Kharge, the panel comprises the Pune divisional commissioner, the commissioner of land registration and director of land records, the inspector general of registration and controller of stamps, and the Pune district collector. While opposition parties and activists have criticized the repeated extensions, alleging they could weaken the probe, the state government has stated that appropriate action will be taken once the report is submitted.

Activist Anjali Damania, on her X handle on February 1, stated that if there was no objection to holding a swearing-in ceremony within just three days of Ajit Pawar's death and it was considered 'business as usual,' then the investigation into the Pune land scam should also not be stalled. 'The pending FIR against Parth Pawar should be registered immediately, and the Kharge commission's report should be made public without delay,' she stated. 'Appointing Parth Pawar as a Rajya Sabha MP while an inquiry against him is underway is wrong,' she added.