Ajit Pawar’s son’s firm to pay Rs 42 crore in stamp duty after Pune land deal collapse

Following Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s announcement that the land deal executed by his son Parth Pawar’s firm has been cancelled, it has emerged that Amadea Enterprises LLP will now have to pay double the stamp duty, amounting to Rs 42 crore, to formalise the cancellation.

Ajit Pawar clarified in a statement on Friday that the 40-acre land transaction in Pune’s upscale Mundhwa area was never completed. “From the information now available, it is clear that this was only an agreement to buy land.

No payment has been made by Parth, his company Amadea, or any member of my family to the seller, and the land has not been taken into possession. Therefore, the transaction has not been completed,” he said.

The Department of Registration and Stamps has issued a notice to Digvijay Amarsinh Patil, Parth Pawar’s cousin and partner in Amadea Enterprises, directing the firm to pay 7 per cent stamp duty on the Rs 300 crore deal, which comes to Rs 21 crore, along with an additional 7 per cent for the cancellation deed. The total amount payable is therefore Rs 42 crore.

Officials said the firm had earlier sought a stamp duty exemption by claiming that a data centre was planned on the site. However, the cancellation deed submitted by the company shows that the project has been scrapped.

“The deficit stamp duty and penalty must be deposited with the Stamps Collector, Pune City, and the deed will be cancelled only after payment,” the order by Joint Sub Registrar A.P. Fulaware stated.

The 40-acre plot came under scrutiny on Thursday after it was revealed that the land belonged to the government. Opposition leaders alleged that the property, located in a prime part of Pune, has a market value of around Rs 1,800 crore.

Following a complaint from the Inspector General of Registration’s office, Pimpri Chinchwad Police registered an FIR against Digvijay Patil, Shital Tejwani, who represented 272 supposed landowners through a power of attorney, and sub-registrar R.B. Taru for alleged misappropriation and cheating.

Ajit Pawar said that his son was unaware the land was government-owned and confirmed that the Rs 300 crore deal had been terminated.

Joint Inspector General of Stamps and Registration, Rajendra Muthe, told PTI that Amadea Enterprises had sought a stamp duty waiver in May, citing a proposed data centre. “However, during scrutiny, it was found that such an exemption could not be granted. Hence, the firm must now pay the earlier 7 per cent duty along with another 7 per cent to execute the cancellation deed,” he said.

The land deal between Amadea Enterprises LLP, co-owned by Parth Pawar and his cousin, and Tejwani was executed earlier this year. Investigators allege that the firm colluded with sub-registrar Taru to avoid paying stamp duty at the time of registration.

The department has since clarified that the cancellation of the sale deed will only take effect once the full stamp duty amount has been deposited.

With agency inputs