Ajit Pawar and his family were cleared of benami property charges on Friday, a day after he took oath as Maharashtra deputy chief minister.
Following this, the income tax department has released Rs 1,000 crore worth of assets seized during the 2021 raids. The case pertains to the acquisition of the Jarandeshwhar Sahakari Sugar Mill by a Mumbai firm in an auction held by the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB). The firm later leased the mill to another company linked to Pawar.
बारामती विधानसभा मतदारसंघातून निवडून आल्यानंतर आज, विधिमंडळाच्या विशेष अधिवेशनात @MahaNCPspeaks च्या वतीनं आमदार म्हणून शपथ घेतली. यावेळी भारतीय संविधानाबद्दल मी प्रामाणिक निष्ठा आणि श्रद्धा बाळगेन. देशाची सार्वभौमता, एकात्मता उन्नत राखेन. माझं कर्तव्य निष्ठापूर्वक पार पाडेन, अशी… pic.twitter.com/wmewt6vtFD
— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) December 7, 2024
Amid the controversy, the taxmen searched the residencs and offices of Ajit Pawar, his relatives and close aides. They also attached Jarandeshwhar Sahakari Sugar Mill in Satara, a Mumbai office, a Delhi apartment and a Goa resort besides land in 27 locations across Maharashtra.
The tax department also found unaccounted income of Rs 184 crore during a raid on two real estate businesses in Mumbai
Advocate Prashant Patil, who represented Pawar, said the case had no legal grounds, adding that the transactions were legal and there were no irregularities.
The Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Appellate Tribunal quashed the case against Pawar, saying there is no evidence that the minister transferred the funds to acquire the benami property and that the properties were bought via legal financial channels.
Dismissing the case, the tribunal said Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar, and Parth Pawar did not transfer funds to procure benami properties.
This comes after the tribunal rejected an appeal filed by the IT department on November 5, 2024.
