Pune: Union minister Murlidhar Mohol refutes allegations over ₹230-crore land deal
I am not connected to Gokhale Construction. Matter is sub judice, I stand firmly with the Jain brothers, Mohol said, adding that politicians, like others, can be businessmen, but he always adhered to law
Pune: Union minister of state for civil aviation and cooperation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday dismissed allegations linking him to a ₹230-crore land deal involving a 3.5-acre plot and hostel owned by a Jain trust in Pune’s Model Colony, asserting that he had no role in the transaction and had ended all business ties with the developer firm earlier.
“I am not connected to Gokhale Construction. The matter is sub judice, and I stand firmly with the Jain brothers,” Mohol said, adding that politicians, like others, can be businessmen, but he had always adhered to the law.
Mohol clarified that the trustees decided to sell the land to a developer during a meeting on December 16 last year and that a tender advertisement was published on December 20. “I left my partnership in the firm much earlier. There is a law that prevents MPs or ministers from holding positions in private firms, and I have complied with it,” he said.
He further stated that he resigned from both Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) firms linked to the land deal on November 25, 2024, and that documents confirming his resignation are available on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs website. “Even before I stepped down, there had been no transaction involving the Jain Boarding or the trust. My name should not be dragged into this. I have always been connected with both the common man and the business community, but I have no involvement in this deal,” Mohol said.
Mohol’s reaction came after opposition leaders, including Raju Shetti, alleged his links with the trust that sold land to a private developer. On October 18, several Jain community members rallied through Pune to protest the sale of the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Digambar Jain Boarding (SHND Hostel) property — a 3.5-acre site housing a Jain temple and hostel.
Protesters accused the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Smarak Trust of “betraying the community’s faith” by selling the land to Gokhale Landmarks LLP, a Pune-based real estate developer. The proposed project reportedly includes 1.6 million sq. ft. of ultra-luxury residential and retail space, with apartments priced from ₹7 crore onwards. The developer has pledged to construct a new 51,000 sq. ft. hostel and expand the existing temple, but community members say the sale violates the religious and cultural sanctity of the site.
The protest — led by Acharya Gurudev Shri Guptinandji Maharaj and other revered saints under the banner of the Jain Boarding Bachao Kruti Samiti — saw monks, students, alumni, citizens, and community leaders march from the hostel premises to the district collector’s office, demanding that the multi-crore land deal be scrapped.
The agitation coincides with a civil writ petition filed by the Association of SHND Hostel Alumni (ASHA) in the Bombay High Court, challenging the Charity Commissioner’s April 4 order this year permitting the sale. The petition argues that the trust deed does not empower the trustees to sell or alienate the land and that the transaction amounts to a criminal breach of trust.
The movement has gained widespread support across Maharashtra, uniting all four sects of the Jain community in opposition to the sale.
