Bombay HC asks if Parth Pawar benefited from Mundhwa land deal, grants pre-arrest bail to accused

The Bombay High Court questioned whether Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and a Rajya Sabha MP, gained from the Mundhwa land deal. The court revealed that Parth Pawar holds 99% stake in Ameida Enterprises LLP, which purchased 40 acres of land in Mundhwa, Pune, from the government at a price lower than its market value. The court granted bail to Suryakant Yewale, a Pune Tehsildar, in anticipation of arrest, naming him as an accused in the case.

The case centers around claims of irregularities in the land purchase by Ameida Enterprises LLP. The court inquired why Parth Pawar was not included as an accused. Police implicated Digvijay Patil, who has a 1% stake in the LLP, as the accused. On September 7, Justice Madhav Jamdar instructed the Director General of Police to file an affidavit explaining the absence of Parth Pawar's name as an accused. The DGP declared that he had ordered Pune Police to investigate the case and would monitor progress.

Justice Jamdar clarified that owning 99% shares in the partnership firm does not make someone an accused, whereas an individual who owns 1% shares is an accused. He expressed surprise that Parth Pawar, being the son of the Deputy Chief Minister, was not designated as an accused. Suryakant Yewale, the Tehsildar implicated in the case, denied any involvement and claimed that he was wrongly implicated.

The judge ruled that Yewale was implicated based on orders passed under the Bombay Tenancy Act, stating there was no evidence of Yewale ordering any actions in exchange for a consideration that is unlawful. Consequently, the court granted bail to Yewale under certain conditions.