The Maharashtra Director General of Police, Sadanand Date, has ordered a “more professional and detailed investigation” into the Pune land deal after the Bombay High Court repeatedly questioned why Rajya Sabha MP and NCP leader Parth Pawar has not been named as an accused despite holding a 99 per cent stake in the firm that purchased the property. Investigators have so far said they found no evidence of Pawar’s complicity in the alleged irregularities.

The case relates to around 40 acres of Mahar Watan land in Mundhwa, near Koregaon Park, which had been leased to the Botanical Survey of India. The FIR alleges that the land was illegally sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP in May 2025 without the mandatory approval of the state government. The property is reportedly valued at around Rs 1,800 crore but was allegedly purchased for Rs 300 crore.

The FIR was initially registered at Khadak police station and was later transferred to the Pune Economic Offences Wing for investigation. The transaction also reportedly involved a stamp duty waiver of Rs 21 crore. The allegations have raised questions about whether the sale complied with legal requirements and whether the necessary government permissions were obtained before the property was transferred.

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Pawar owns 99 per cent of the firm involved in the purchase, while his one per cent partner is the only person who has been charged so far. The investigating officer has maintained that there is no evidence establishing Pawar’s involvement in the alleged wrongdoing. A state-appointed committee headed by IAS officer Vikas Kharage had also concluded earlier this year that there was no material evidence of direct wrongdoing or criminal liability against Pawar.

The Bombay High Court’s repeated questions have nevertheless prompted closer scrutiny of the investigation. One of the key issues raised by the court is whether Pawar gained from the transaction, given his overwhelming ownership stake in the company that purchased the land. The questions have led DGP Sadanand Date to direct the police to conduct what has been described as a more professional and detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deal.

The latest direction does not establish criminal liability against Pawar, who remains outside the list of accused in the case. Instead, the police have been asked to examine the matter more thoroughly in light of the questions raised by the High Court. The renewed investigation will focus on the land transaction, the alleged violation of approval requirements, the financial aspects of the deal and the roles of those connected with the purchasing firm.

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