Pune's Pavan Gandhi Charity Trust faces land grab case

Judicial magistrate first class, RL Wankhade, on Tuesday directed the Bund Garden police station to investigate an alleged land grab case filed against Pavan Gandhi Charity Trust chairman, Chainsukh Shobhachand Gandhi, and Sonabai Navalmal Gandhi, for allegedly forging 7/12 extracts of a farmer’s land.  

A farmer from Mulshi, Madhukar Hiru alias Hiraman Nagre, 55, has filed a private criminal complaint through his lawyer, SD Deshmukh, in the court accusing the Gandhis of forging the 7/12 extracts.  

The trust had accused Sinhgad Technical Education Society founder president, MN Navale, of having grabbed 11.5 acres recently.  

DNA, in its May 18 report, ‘Charity accuses Sinhgad founder of land grab’ had reported how the trustees of the Pavan Gandhi Charity Trust (PGCT), Chainsukh Gandhi and Ravindra Barate, had alleged that the founder president of Sinhgad Technical Education Society, MN Navale, and others had grabbed 11.5 acres by forging documents.  

According to Nagre, his family is in occupation of 19 gunthas in Survey number 160/1 and 5.26 acres in Survey number 161 in Ambadwet village in Mulshi for last 60 years.  

In his plaint, Nagre said the sub-registrar’s office had told him that the Gandhi trust had executed a sale deed with him through a power of attorney on July 30, 1987. He said the power of attorney document did not have his thumb impression and was illegal.  

Trustee of Gandhi trust, Ravindra Barate said, “The trust has nothing to do with the farmer as it purchased the land from Sonabai Gandhi in 2000. The trust has not purchased any land directly from any farmer. The land documents with Sonabai had the thumb impression of the farmer who registered the complaint against us in the court by giving false information.’’