Pune’s Mundhwa Land Deal: Committee Flags Stamp Duty Fraud, Revenue Loss in Crores
Pune, 19th November 2025: An inquiry into the contentious Mundhwa government land transaction has found that stamp duty exemption was granted without the mandatory eligibility certificate from the District Industries Centre. Despite this clear violation, the document was registered, resulting in a substantial loss of revenue, the Muthe Committee has stated in its report.
The case centres on a private deal involving government-owned land between Amadea Enterprises LLP (owned by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar) and Sheetal Tejwani, who had power of attorney from earlier Mahar Watan land owners. The land’s 7/12 extract clearly identified it as property of the Mumbai Government. However, Sub-Registrar (Class-II) Ravindra Taru allegedly bypassed established procedure by using the ‘skip’ option in the e-mutation system, effectively registering the government plot as private movable property. The committee observed that Taru failed to verify essential documents, breaching key provisions of the Registration Act.
The scrutiny also found that several of the 89 power of attorney documents attached to the deed carried improper stamp duty. The report notes that Tejwani executed the deed in her personal capacity instead of representing Paramount Infrastructures, despite being required to do so.
Key recommendations of the committee:
Mandatory verification and approval of stamp duty waiver documents by the District Collector.
Submission of a 7/12 extract and property card not older than one month for registration.
A strict ban on sub-registrars registering deeds related to government-owned land.
The findings point to serious administrative lapses and underline the need for stronger oversight in government land registrations.
