IT Department Clears Ajit Pawar's Rs 1,000 Crore Seized Properties After Tribunal Dismisses Benami Charges

In a major relief to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Income Tax department has cleared properties worth over Rs 1,000 crore that were seized in 2021.

The decision followed the Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Appellate Tribunal dismissing charges that he and his family owned benami property.

Photo Credit: PTI

The ruling came a day after Pawar took the oath as Deputy Chief Minister alongside Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena at the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister.

The I-T department had raided several locations linked to the NCP leader and his family on October 7, 2021, on allegations of holding benami assets. Several properties, including a sugar factory in Satara, a flat in Delhi, and a resort in Goa, were attached in the case.

However, the tribunal dismissed the charges, citing "insufficient evidence". It stated that the properties were acquired through legitimate financial means and that the I-T department had failed to establish any link between the benami properties and the Pawar family.

"There is no evidence to suggest that Ajit Pawar or his family transferred funds to acquire benami properties...it's not that Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar, and Parth Pawar transferred funds to procure benami properties," the tribunal said.

Advocate Prashant Patil, representing the politician and his family, stated that the allegations had no legal basis and that the family had done nothing wrong.

Emphasising that the transactions for acquiring these properties were conducted through legitimate channels, including the banking system, he confirmed that there were no irregularities in the records.