Another Land Scam Surfaces in Pune: Sale of Animal Husbandry Department’s Land in Tathawade Under Probe

Pune, 13th November 2025: After the Mundhwa and Bopodi government land scams, yet another case involving the illegal sale of prime government land has surfaced — this time in Tathawade. Around 15 acres of land belonging to the Maharashtra Government’s Animal Husbandry Department have allegedly been sold using forged documents by attaching old land records (7/12 extracts). The matter came to light after the department lodged a formal complaint with higher authorities.

According to officials, the Animal Husbandry Department owns approximately 72 hectares of land in Tathawade, which has been under its possession since 1930. The land is used for cultivating fodder for livestock. However, it was recently discovered that a sale deed had been registered for about 15 acres of this land. Once the department received this information, it immediately informed the Divisional Commissioner, who directed the Registration and Stamps Department to investigate.

The department’s inquiry confirmed the illegal registration, and further action has now been initiated, senior officials said on condition of anonymity.

Sources revealed that while a portion of Survey No. 20 in Tathawade is privately owned, the Animal Husbandry Department holds other rights over it. In 2023, the alleged landowner registered a deed of agreement and later applied to the Tehsildar for mutation entry to establish inheritance rights. However, the Tehsildar ruled that the land belonged to the Animal Husbandry Department. The landowner then challenged this decision in the High Court, which in 2024 ruled in the owner’s favour, but noted that the Tehsildar had failed to follow due procedure.

The court, however, did not issue any clear order regarding ownership rights, leading the Tehsildar to retain the department’s name in the “other rights” section of the land record.

Despite this, in January 2025, the landowner used the 2023 land extracts to register the property, allegedly misusing the documents. The Animal Husbandry Department subsequently lodged a complaint with the Divisional Commissioner, prompting a departmental probe.

Following this, the Inspector General of Registration has reportedly initiated disciplinary action against the concerned Sub-Registrar, sources said.

The case adds to the growing list of questionable land transactions involving government-owned properties in and around Pune, raising serious concerns over the role of officials and the misuse of the land registration system.