Maharashtra Government Suspends Sub-Registrar Over Major Land Scam in Pune

Pune: A major land scam involving the illegal sale of government-owned property has surfaced in Pune, prompting the Maharashtra government to suspend a senior registration officer and initiate a high-level probe.

The case concerns a 15-acre plot in Tathawade, Pimpri-Chinchwad, valued at nearly ₹750 crore, allegedly sold for just ₹33 crore through a private transaction in violation of state rules. The land, under Survey Number 20, Mulshi Taluka, belongs to the animal husbandry department and is officially classified as non-transferable without prior government approval.

Following a joint inquiry by the deputy inspector general of registration and deputy controller of stamps, Pune division, along with the district registrar and stamps officer, Pune city, the state government suspended Vidya Shankar Bade-Sangle, senior clerk and in-charge sub-registrar (Class II), Haveli Number 17, Pune city. She is accused of registering the sale deed despite explicit prohibitions.

The Tathawade land case comes barely a week after the Mundhwa property deal cropped up, in which a company controlled by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar was linked. The government has already suspended a sub-registrar in that case and filed two FIRs, including one against the tehsildar. There’s one more land-related irregularity in which an agricultural land from Bopodi was allegedly sold to private entities, according to officials.

According to official records, the disputed deal was registered under sale deed number 685/2025, dated January 9, 2025. Bade allegedly accepted an outdated 7/12 extract from June 2023 that did not indicate the land’s government ownership or restricted status. However, the updated 7/12 extract from February 2025, later obtained by inquiry officers, clearly listed the commissioner, animal husbandry department, as the property owner and specified that the land could not be sold or transferred.

Despite this, Bade processed the registration without obtaining mandatory sanction or higher-level clearance. According to Bade’s suspension order, she used the “skip” or “keep option” feature in the registration software, allowing the transaction to proceed despite incomplete verification of ownership details. Officials said “this bypassed the built-in safeguards designed to block the registration of restricted properties”.

Taking serious note of the lapse, the inspector general of registration and superintendent of stamps, Maharashtra, issued a suspension order on Thursday, under Rule 4 of the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979. “The act conducted by Bade is of serious nature. As Bade’s continuation in service will adversely impact the case, she will be suspended under Rule 4 of the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979,” stated the order, a copy of which has been reviewed by HT.

During suspension, Bade has been posted at the principal stamps office, Mumbai, and barred from leaving headquarters without permission from the deputy controller of stamps, Mumbai. She will receive a subsistence allowance under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Suspension and Subsistence Allowance) Rules, 1981, and is prohibited from engaging in private employment.

A departmental inquiry has been initiated to determine the extent of irregularities and whether other officials were complicit. Investigators are also examining the drastic undervaluation of the land—registered at ₹33 crore despite an estimated market value exceeding ₹750 crore—indicating possible collusion between private buyers, intermediaries, and government officials.

Officials said the deal was executed without mandatory approval from the revenue and animal husbandry departments, and that certain official documents may have been altered or suppressed during registration. Civic activists have demanded a criminal probe against involved parties, including private beneficiaries, calling the Tathawade case another example of systemic lapses following the recent Mundhwa and Bopodi land scams.

A preliminary report has been submitted to the state government, and further disciplinary and legal action is expected once the departmental inquiry concludes. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the government would take “strong and transparent action” against those found guilty. “Government land belongs to the people, not individuals. Anyone misusing authority or compromising public property will face strict consequences,” he said.

The Pune district administration and the police have started collecting related documents and evidence. Authorities are also examining whether to invoke the Maharashtra Public Trusts and Prevention of Corruption Acts if intent and collusion are established.