Maharashtra Govt Orders Probe Into Rs 4,500-Crore CIDCO Land Scam Targeting Minister Sanjay Shirsat

The Shinde-led faction in Maharashtra has come under intense political fire after the state government ordered a high-level probe into an alleged Rs 4,500 crore CIDCO land scam, directly targeting Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat.

The Maharashtra government has announced the formation of a six-member inquiry committee, headed by the Konkan Divisional Commissioner, to investigate allegations surrounding the controversial land allocation in Navi Mumbai.

The move is widely seen as an attempt to counter mounting opposition pressure ahead of the state legislature’s winter session.

Sanjay Shirsat, a former CIDCO Chairman who is considered a close aide of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is accused of approving the transfer of 61,000 sq. m. of prime CIDCO land, valued at approximately Rs 4,500 crore, to the Bivalkar family.

According to NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, Shirsat cleared the file in his very first meeting as CIDCO Chairman, overriding previous rejections of the Bivalkar family’s claim. Pawar alleges that the land had originally been reserved for affordable housing for the poor, and yet the allocation was approved despite ongoing litigation and a Supreme Court stay on the property.

Rohit Pawar has also posted the Government Resolution of the newly formed probe committee on X, demanding the resignation of Minister Sanjay Shirsat. He further claims that the land parcel — nearly 15 acres — was illegally transferred by bypassing established procedures.