Pune: The state revenue department on Thursday suspended Pune city tehsildar Suryakant Yeole on the charge of misusing his quasi-judicial powers as the agriculture land tribunal to pass a couple of illegal orders granting ownership rights of two govt land parcels to private parties.One of these orders relates to the 40-acre land parcel in Mundhwa granted in favour of Digivijay Patil, a partner in Amadea Enterprises LLP in which deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth, is the other partner, and Sheetal Tejwani, who held the power of attorney (PoA) for the land.The other order is related to a 5.35-hectare land parcel, belonging to the state agriculture department, granted in favour of Hemant Gawande, who is PoA-holder for Vision Property, and five others. Gawande was the complainant in the controversial 2016 Bhosari MIDC land deal, which led to then revenue minister Eknath Khadse’s resignation over allegations of misuse of official powers.Later, acting on the Pune sub divisional officer’s directive, Naib Tehsildar Pravina S Borde lodged a complaint in the early hours (1.41am) of Friday with the Khadak police station against Yeole, Gawande, Tejwani, Patil and five others. This is the second case after the Bavdhan police on Thursday registered a case against suspended sub registrar Ravindra Taru, Tejwani and Paitl regarding registration of the Mundhwa land parcel sale deed for Rs300 crore and waiver of stamp duty causing loss of Rs6 crore to govt.On Friday, Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi told TOI: “The tehsildar passed an illegal order granting ownership rights of govt land parcel (in Bopodi) to a private party. We immediately withdrew it, and no sale deed took place. Since the order was illegal, a case was registered.”The Khadak police invoked charges under sections 201 (public servant framing an incorrect document), 316 (2) and (5), both related to criminal breach of trust, 318 (3) and (4), both related to cheating, 336 (3) and (4), 338, 340 all related to forgery, forgery of valuable security and use of forged documents as genuine, 61(2) i.e. criminal conspiracy and 3(5) i.e. common intention of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the nine people named in the FIR. The case has been transferred to the economic offences wing (EOW) of the Pune police.Deputy commissioner of police (EOW) Vivek Masal told TOI: “We will start investigating the case once we get all the relevant documents from the authorities concerned. For now, the order transferring the investigation to us has been issued.”According to the FIR, between Feb 12, 2024, and July 1, 2025, when Yeole held the tehsildar’s office at Mamledar Kacheri at Khadakmal Aali in Pune city, Gawande and five others and Tejwani and Patil filed separate pleas under the provisions of the Mumbai Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948, seeking a declaration of ownership rights of the Bopodi and the Mundhwa land parcels, respectively, in their favour.Yeole held hearings on these two pleas over a period of time and went on to pass the two orders in favour of the applicants despite the fact that the Mumbai Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948, was not applicable to the areas under the Pune municipal corporation limits, the FIR stated.The land parcel at survey no 62 in Bopodi belonged to the agriculture department since 1883 and there were clear orders at regular intervals from the higher authorities declaring the ownership and possession of the land with the state department, the FIR further read.Similarly, Tejwani and Patil’s plea relating to the Mundhwa land parcel was illegal from the very stage of inception, the FIR stated. Yet, Yeole went ahead to pass the illegal orders, which resulted in misuse of powers and misappropriation of govt lands, the FIR added.Earlier, under secretary (revenue and forest) Pravin Patil on Thursday passed the order suspending Yeola based on a report and recommendation by Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi. The suspension order read that Yeole “knowingly and without due regard to the legal and factual aspects” had passed an order granting ownership of government land in Bopodi to private applicants despite its classification as agricultural dairy land. The act, the order said, amounted to misappropriation of state property and was “irresponsible and unbecoming of a government officer.”Dudi told TOI, “A similar pattern was observed in the Mundhwa land parcel case involving Amadea Enterprises LLP. We are investigating how this order advanced to the stage of a sale deed. The sub-registrar concerned has already been suspended pending inquiry.”He said, “Though the illegal orders were stopped before any transfer, issuing false govt directives to benefit private parties is a grave misconduct. Strict action has been initiated.”
