IT dept clears Ajit Pawar’s `1K crore seized properties

Mumbai: In a major relief to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Income Tax department has cleared properties worth over Rs 1,000 crore seized in 2021. The move came after the Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Appellate Tribunal dismissed the charges that he and his family owned benami property.

The ruling came a day after Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister along with Sena’s Eknath Shinde at the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister. Reacting to the relief granted to him, Pawar said, “It is not always necessary to simply accept allegations. Everyone has the right to appeal.” He did not elaborate further. The I-T department had raided several locations linked to the NCP leader and his family on October 7, 2021, over allegations that he held benami assets. Several properties, including a sugar factory in Satara, a flat in Delhi, and a resort in Goa were attached in the case.

Investigations, however, revealed none of the properties were registered in Ajit Pawar’s name. The tribunal rejected the charges citing a lack of sufficient evidence. Stating that the properties were paid for using legitimate financial routes, it said the I-T department had failed to establish any link between 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.