Pune Court Denies Bail to Sheetal Tejwani in ₹1,800 Crore Mundhwa Land Scandal

A Pune sessions court has rejected the bail application of Sheetal Kisanchand Tejwani, a key accused in an alleged large-scale land scam involving protected government land. The court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge B.V. Wagh, dismissed Tejwani's bail plea on February 6, citing prima facie evidence of her involvement and the serious nature of the offence.

According to the prosecution, Tejwani is the primary accused in the case. She allegedly obtained power of attorney from 372 Vatandars and executed sale deeds of protected land bearing Survey No. 88 at Mundhwa in favor of a private firm, Amedia Enterprises LLP. The prosecution further alleged that these transactions were carried out despite the revocation of the power of attorney and even on behalf of deceased Vatandars, causing wrongful loss to the government exchequer.

The land, valued at approximately ₹1,800 crore, was shown at ₹300 crore in the sale deed, with no consideration amount passed and a stamp duty of only ₹500 affixed. The land is stated to be allotted to the Botanical Survey of India, adding to the gravity of the offence.

Opposing the bail plea, the prosecution submitted that Tejwani acted in collusion with revenue officials to secure illegal regularization orders. They also pointed out that several co-accused are still absconding, raising concerns over witness tampering. Tejwani, through her counsel, claimed innocence and argued that the dispute was civil in nature. She also contended that she is a single mother of three children and that the investigation against her has been completed.

However, the court observed that the applicant appeared to be legally well-versed and had allegedly conspired with public servants for illegal enrichment. The court termed the offence an 'elite scam' involving a huge loss to the state exchequer and held that granting bail at this stage would be inappropriate.

'The submissions advanced seeking bail on sympathetic grounds would amount to misplaced sympathy,' the court noted while rejecting the application. Further investigation into the case is ongoing against other accused persons.

The case pertains to an alleged large-scale land scam involving protected government land in the Mundhwa area of Pune City. Revenue officials and private individuals, including Sheetal Tejwani and Digvijay Patil, one of the partners in Amedia Enterprises LLP, are accused of manipulating records and illegally transferring ownership rights. Late Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, is another partner in Amedia Enterprises; however, he was not named in the FIR and chargesheet filed by Pune City Police.