The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Sunday said that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra will have to explain “the way it has gone all out to protect” Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son in alleged irregularities pertaining to a land deal in Mundhwa, The Indian Express reported.

This came after the sub-registrar who had registered the sale deed in May was arrested.

The controversy centres on the sale of about 40 acres of land in Pune’s Koregaon Park, allegedly purchased by Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm co-owned by the deputy chief minister’s son, Parth Pawar.

The land, classified as Mahar Watan land, was historically granted to the Mahar Scheduled Caste community. Such land cannot be sold without the state government’s permission.

The Opposition has alleged that the land, valued at about Rs 1,800 crore, was sold to the company for Rs 300 crore, with a stamp duty waiver reportedly granted within 48 hours of the deal. The original valuation put the payable stamp duty at Rs 21 crore, The Print reported.

In November, Ajit Pawar said that Parth Pawar and his business partner, Digvijay Patil, were not aware that the land parcel their company had agreed to purchase belonged to the government. The agreement was preliminary and no financial transaction had taken place, he said.

Two first information reports have been filed in the matter so far.

While one was registered with the Bavdhan police, which comes under Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, the second one was filed with the Khadak Police, which comes under Pune Police Commissionerate, The Indian Express reported.

The second case has since been transferred from the Khadak police to the Economic Offences Wing of the Pune City Police.

The cases have been filed against Patil, Sheetal Tejwani and Ravindra Taru. No FIR has been filed yet against Parth Pawar.

Tejwani is a Pune resident who had power of attorney on behalf of the original land owners.

Taru is the now-suspended registrar of the Haveli Number 4 sub-registrar office who had registered the sale deed on May 20, the newspaper reported.

The Economic Offences Wing arrested Tejwani last week. She will be in custody till Thursday.

On Sunday, the Pimpri Chinchwad Police arrested Taru from his home in Bhor, The Indian Express reported.

A police officer said that he would be produced before a court on Monday. The officer also said that the Pimpri Chinchwad Police had applied to the court seeking Tejwani’s custody in the matter.

On Sunday, Congress leader Atul Londhe told The Indian Express that no case had been filed against the deputy chief minister’s son despite the fact that he held 99% of the stakes in the company that had bought the government land.

“While the one partner who has 1% stake is facing the FIR, the one who has the maximum stake has been allowed to walk free,” the newspaper quoted Londhe as saying. “What kind of justice system does the [Chief Minister Devendra] Fadnavis government have?”

He added: “The government will have to answer the way it has gone all out to protect Parth Pawar, who is Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s son.”

The Congress leader claimed that rules and regulations were being openly violated.

“The government seems to be hand in glove with the perpetrators,” he said. “We are going to grill the government on this issue [during the winter session of the state Assembly].”

The winter session of the Assembly began on Monday and will go on till December 14.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that the Mundhwa land deal was one of the matters that the Opposition would take up during the session, along with farmers not getting the desired price for their produce and distressed farmers dying by suicide.

Vijay Kumbhar, vice president of the Maharashtra Aam Aadmi Party, said that Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar had already told him that the Mundhwa land deal issue would be taken up during the session.

“The Opposition is going to demand filing of an FIR against Parth Pawar,” The Indian Express quoted Kumbhar as saying. “Is he being let off because he is the son of the deputy chief minister? Are there different laws for different people in Maharashtra?”

The Aam Aadmi Party leader added that he had also written to the chief minister to ensure that all those involved in the land deal should face action.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena group and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Sharad Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.