MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday questioned the absence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, from the FIR in the Pune land scam.

Parth Pawar is linked to a 40-acre prime land deal in Pune. His firm, Amadea Enterprises LLP, purchased Mahar Watan land valued at around Rs 2,000 crore, allegedly securing a waiver of Rs 25 crore in stamp duty and registration fees by claiming plans to develop an IT hub. The massive transaction was executed on a Rs 500 stamp paper.

During the hearing, the High Court expressed surprise that although the firm belonged to Parth Pawar, his name was not included in the FIR. Police have filed a case against six people and arrested two. Notably, Parth’s partner, Digvijay Patil, who holds a 10% stake in the firm, is named in the FIR, while Parth, who owns 90%, is not.

Justice Madhav Jamdhar, hearing the bail plea of accused Sheetal Tejwani, asked why she approached the High Court when her application was pending before the Pune City Civil Court.