Big Relief to Ajit Pawar as IT Department clears Properties seized in Benami Case

The Income Tax Department has cleared properties worth over Rs.1,000 crore seized in 2021, providing relief to Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The move came after the Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Appellate Tribunal dropped charges against him and his family for owning Benami property.

The verdict came a day after Mr. Pawar and Sena’s Eknath Shinde took oaths as Deputy Chief Ministers at Devendra Fadnavis’ inauguration as Chief Minister.

The IT department raided various places linked to the NCP leader and his family on October 7, 2021, alleging that he owned benami assets. The case involved several properties, including a sugar mill in Satara, a flat in Delhi, and a resort in Goa.

Investigations discovered that none of the properties were registered in Ajit Pawar’s name.

The tribunal dismissed the allegations, citing a lack of adequate evidence. It stated that the properties were purchased through normal financial channels and that the Income Tax Department has been unable to establish any link between Benami properties and the Pawar family.

“There is no evidence indicating that Ajit Pawar or his family transferred funds to purchase benami properties…it’s not that Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar, and Parth Pawar transferred funds to procure benami properties,” according to the tribunal.

Advocate Prashant Patil, who represents the politician and his family, stated that the claims had no legal standing and that the family had done nothing illegal. He said that the transactions for acquiring these assets were conducted through authorized channels, including the banking system, and that the documents contained no errors.