Shiv Sena UBT Leader Anil Parab Acquitted in Dapoli Resort Case; Prosecution Evidence Deemed Insufficient

A special court in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district has acquitted former state minister Anil Parab in a case related to the alleged illegal construction of a resort and tax irregularities in Dapoli. The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges against the accused and found insufficient evidence to support allegations of corruption, cheating, forgery, and violations under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The verdict comes as a major relief for the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, who had faced scrutiny over the controversial resort project since 2021.

Special judge Prasanna S. Chandgude, who handles Anti-Corruption Bureau-linked matters at the Khed court, also acquitted four other accused in the case. Those cleared of all charges include village head Suresh Shankar Tupe, village administrative officer Anant Dnyandev Koli, revenue circle officer Sudhir Shantaram Pardule, and sub-divisional officer Jayram Vinayak Deshpande. All had been booked under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and anti-corruption laws in connection with the resort project located at Murud in Dapoli taluka.

The case originated from a complaint filed in 2021 by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who alleged that the resort had been constructed illegally within a restricted Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ-III) area. Somaiya had also accused local authorities of assessing property taxes for the resort without properly verifying whether the construction had been completed. The complaint further claimed that irregularities in land transactions and property documentation resulted in financial losses to the Maharashtra government through reduced stamp duty payments.

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According to the prosecution, two sale deeds connected to the property allegedly failed to mention the existence of the standing structure, leading to an estimated revenue loss of more than Rs 25 lakh to the state government. Authorities had also alleged that approvals related to the resort violated coastal development regulations applicable to environmentally sensitive zones in the Dapoli region. The matter subsequently became politically sensitive due to Parab’s position within the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and the broader political tensions in Maharashtra at the time.

However, while delivering the judgement, the court observed that the prosecution had “miserably failed” to prove the corruption and forgery charges against the accused. The judge pointed to inconsistencies between the allegations mentioned in the First Information Report and those outlined later in the chargesheet. The court also noted that the prosecution failed to examine Kirit Somaiya, the complainant and a key witness in the case, despite his central role in raising the allegations and initiating the legal proceedings.

The court further observed that allegations regarding illegal permissions granted within the CRZ-III area were not sufficiently proven during the trial. The acquittal is expected to have political significance in Maharashtra, where the case had often been cited in political exchanges between the ruling alliance and opposition leaders. While the verdict clears Parab and the co-accused of criminal liability in the matter, the judgement may still attract wider debate over the handling of coastal development regulations and politically sensitive corruption investigations in the state.

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