Pune: Suspended Sub Registrar Accused of Conniving to Register Sale Deed Without Proper Checks

12Pune: The state prosecution told a magisterial court in Paud that the Bavdhan police needed time to interrogate suspended sub registrar Ravindra B Taru (58) regarding the receipt of total Rs 48,000 in his bank account around the time when the sale deed relating to the Mundhwa govt land parcel was registered by him.Police investigations so far revealed that Rs 20,000 were deposited in his account on May 20 when the sale deed was registered and another Rs 18,000 and Rs 10,000 were deposited in the same account on May 21, the prosecution told the court. The court extended Taru's remand in police custody till Dec 19.The police arrested Taru on Dec 7 on charges of conniving with Sheetal Tejwani, who claims to hold power of attorney for the original land holders of the Mahar Watan land at Mundhwa, and Amadea Enterprises LLP partner, Digvijay Patil, to register the sale deed without conducting proper checks and causing Rs 6 crore revenue loss to the govt by way of a stamp duty waiver to register the sale deed.Senior inspector Anil Vibhute and his team produced Taru before the court on Monday at the end of his initial custody remand and sought a further extension of his custody for five days.The remand report stated that the police were investigating if Taru held any other bank account or had secured illegal gratification through other means besides his actions showed criminality as he went on to register the sale deed even after writing a letter to the original land holders seeking compliance of certain deficiencies.The police have searched his office and have seized his mobile phone for forensic analysis.Similarly, other digital devices like computer, laptop, tab, SIM card, memory card were also needed to be examined for evidence collection, the report stated. There is a strong possibility that he disposed of or destroyed relevant documents, the report stated.The Maharashtra Stamp Act provides for a stamp duty of 5% plus 1% local body tax and 1% metro cess, which, in this case, works out to Rs 21 crore against the declared consideration of Rs 300 crore for the land deal. However, the sale deed was registered after collecting a token stamp duty of Rs 500, citing an industrial concession under a letter of intent (LoI) by the District Industries Centre, Pune. It is the govt's case that even if such a concession was admissible, the 1% local body tax and 1% metro cess, which works out to around Rs 6 crore, were not exempted, indicating a prima facie loss of govt revenue.Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here