Mr. Bawankule’s remarks came days after a notice was issued to the firm to pay seven percent stamp duty. According to a senior official, the company has been directed to pay Rs 21 crore as stamp duty to the state exchequer by November 17, and another Rs 21 crore for the cancellation of the sale deed.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday said that Rs 42 crore will be recovered from Amadea Enterprises LLP — a firm linked to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s son Parth. The company has come under scrutiny for allegedly trying to purchase the prime land worth Rs 1,800 crore in Pune for Rs 300 crore.
Mr. Bawankule’s remarks came days after a notice was issued to the firm to pay seven percent stamp duty. According to a senior official, the company has been directed to pay Rs 21 crore as stamp duty to the state exchequer by November 17, and another Rs 21 crore for the cancellation of the sale deed. However, there is no deadline for paying the fine related to the revocation of the sale deed.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Bawankule had sought explanation from the Stamps and Registration Department on why a notice demanding double stamp duty of around Rs 42 crore was issued to Amadea Enterprises LLP when the land deal itself was getting scrapped.
A day after, Mr. Bawankule stated that the Rs 42 crore stamp duty notice issued by the Registration and Stamps Department in the Koregaon Park land transaction case was “absolutely correct and in complete accordance with the rules.” “I had announced yesterday that I would personally examine the matter. After detailed examination, it has been found that the Registration and Stamps Department has thoroughly investigated the transaction and taken appropriate action,” he said.
The minister explained that the original transaction was valued at Rs 300 crore, on which Rs 21 crore in stamp duty had already been levied. Since the transaction involved government land and is technically invalid, it must be cancelled through reconveyance. Under the provisions of the Stamp Act, an additional Rs 21 crore in stamp duty will be payable during reconveyance, bringing the total liability to Rs 42 crore.
“This transaction is technically wrong because government land was sold without authorisation, rendering it a bogus transaction. The land will have to be reverted to the government. However, stamp duty is mandatorily chargeable on the value shown in the transaction document as per the Indian Stamp Act. The amount declared in the document is what matters, not the title,” Mr. Bawankule said.
A senior official familiar with the case said that Amadea Enterprises LLP has not yet paid the stamp duty or fine, despite a notice being issued on November 7 — the same day Digvijay Amarsingh Patil, a partner in the firm, filed an application to cancel the sale deed.
“The firm has been asked to pay Rs 21 crore as stamp duty by November 17 to the state exchequer. If cancellation of the sale deed has to proceed, the firm will have to pay Rs 21 crore penalty,” the senior official said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of protecting Parth Pawar. He claimed that Ajit Pawar was ready to withdraw his support from the government after the controversial land deal came to light.
Mr. Danve demanded that a case be registered against Parth Pawar, alleging that the government was protecting the Pawar father-son duo. “I heard that during a meeting held at ‘Varsha’ (the CM’s official residence in Mumbai), Ajit Pawar furiously offered to step out of the government and extend outside support,” he claimed.
Rejecting these allegations, Mr. Tatkare said, “Ajit Pawar did not have any relation to the case. I do not know how the resignation subject came into the discussion.”
The State Revenue Department had earlier suspended sub-registrar Ravindra Taru for alleged irregularities in the registration of a 44-acre Mahar Watan land parcel. Taru is accused of waiving Rs 21 crore in stamp duty on the Rs 300 crore deal, citing a letter of intent from the firm to develop a data centre on the land.
