Probe on, truth will surface soon: Ajit Pawar on land deal linked to son's firm
Pune (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said an inquiry has been initiated into the alleged illegal sale of a government land to his son's company in Pune, and the truth will soon be revealed to the public.
Speaking to reporters at Baramati in Pune district, the NCP chief also said that if his close associates or relatives invoke his name and make any statements that violate the rules, the authorities must take appropriate action.
Questions have been raised about the sale of 40 acres of land in Pune's upscale Mundhwa area for Rs 300 crore to a company in which Ajit Pawar's son Parth Pawar is a partner. Two First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered in the case, though Parth Pawar is not named in them.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said action in the Pune land deal case is being taken as per law and there is no question of saving anybody.
Asked about the land deal issue, Ajit Pawar on Sunday said, "I have already presented my stand clearly on various issues ongoing over the past few days. An inquiry has begun and the truth will soon come before the public."
"I still don't understand how a document can be registered without even a transaction of one rupee? We'll know within a month why the person who carried out this registration actually did it," the NCP leader said.
He further said Chief Minister Fadnavis has appointed the inquiry committee.
"Earlier too, allegations of (irregularities of) Rs 70,000 crore were made against me, it's been 15 to 16 years since then. Whenever there are elections, multiple accusations are made against us. We try to work transparently, but as soon as we do, people start digging up and alleging against random land deals," he said.
"Even if my close workers or relatives use my name and say something, if it's not as per the rules, the officials concerned must act on it," he added.
Elections to various local bodies in the state are scheduled to be held on December 2.
The sale deed of the government land to Amadea Enterprises has come under the scanner for want of the required clearances. Opposition leaders alleged that its market value was Rs 1,800 crore, and it could not have been sold without the government's permission.
FIRs have been filed against signatories and vendors and those found guilty in the probe will be booked, Fadnavis said, when asked about the First Information Report not naming Parth.
Ajit Pawar has announced that the sale deed executed by his son Parth’s firm for the prime land in Pune has been scrapped, even as officials said the company will have to cough up double the stamp duty, which comes to Rs 42 crore, to get the transaction cancelled.
Based on a complaint filed by the Inspector General of Registrar's office, the Pimpri Chinchwad police have registered an FIR against Digvijay Patil, Shital Tejwani (who represented the 272 'owners' of the land through the power of attorney), and sub-registrar R B Taru for alleged misappropriation and cheating.
Ajit Pawar has claimed Parth was unaware that the land purchased by his firm belonged to the government.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
