BJP leader Eknath Khadse (Source: File photo)
DAYS AFTER the state ACB allegedly told the court that it has no concrete evidence to support allegations against BJP leader Eknath Khadse in a land deal case, realtor Hemant Gawande — on whose complaint the case was lodged — has questioned the intention of the former minister and his relatives in purchasing the land at Bhosari in Pune.
Khadse is alleged to have bought a 3-acre land owned by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in Bhosari in the name of his wife and son-in-law at Rs 3.75 crore — far below the market price of Rs 40 crore. On April 27, the ACB had filed a ‘C Summary’ in the court, reportedly saying it has not found any concrete evidence to support the allegations against Khadse. In a statement to the press on Friday, Gawande — a realtor based in Pune — said, “Are they (Khadse and family) going to start farming on the said land or they want to run industry on the said land? And what will be the future of 15 small scale industries and workers working over there?”
Gawande added that he will decide on further legal action after going through the ACB report. Acting under Bombay High Court orders, the ACB had booked Khadse, the former revenue minister in the Fadnavis government, in April 2017, along with his wife, son-in-law and others. The 3-acre land is in the industrial zone of Bhosari in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Gawande had alleged that Khadse purchased the land keeping both MIDC and the landowner in the dark. The deal, he claimed, was done keeping in view the multi-crore compensation the new owner would be eligible for.