Land Ownership Records Manipulated, 15 Revenue Officials Suspended in Pune Division : Bawankule
Pune, 11th July 2026: Fifteen revenue department officials, including deputy collectors and tehsildars, have been suspended for allegedly manipulating land ownership records by misusing Section 155 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code in the Pune division, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule informed the Legislative Council on Friday.
The action follows a departmental inquiry ordered after Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab raised allegations in the previous legislature session that Section 155 — a provision meant only to rectify clerical or typographical errors in land records — was being misused to alter ownership details.
Presenting the findings of the inquiry, Bawankule said officials had allegedly used the provision to make substantive changes in land records, including transferring properties from the names of rightful owners to others without any legal basis.
The minister said criminal cases would be registered against the officials found guilty and added that some could face dismissal from service.
He also said investigators found that official records had gone missing in certain cases, apparently in an attempt to destroy evidence. Criminal action under the Public Records Act, 2005, will be initiated in connection with the missing files, he told the House.
“There has been a major fraud in which land belonging to one person was transferred into another person’s name. We have begun the process of restoring such properties to their original owners, and strict action will be taken against those responsible,” Bawankule said.
The minister said the government would take departmental as well as criminal action against all officials found to have misused the provision and assured the House that steps were being taken to prevent similar irregularities in future.
