New Delhi: A day after Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Income Tax Department cleared properties associated with him and his family worth over Rs. 1,000 crore which were seized in 2021.

The I-T department cleared the properties after the Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Appellate Tribunal dismissed the charges that Pawar and his family owned benami property, reported NDTV.

Back in 2021, the I-T department had raided various locations linked to Pawar, who was then in the undivided NCP over allegations that he held benami assets. The properties attached in the case included a sugar factory in Satara, a flat in Delhi and a resort in Goa.

The appellate tribunal rejected the charges citing lack of sufficient evidence after investigations revealed that none of the properties were registered in Pawar’s name.

"There is no evidence to suggest that Ajit Pawar or his family transferred funds to acquire benami properties...it's not that Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar, and Parth Pawar transferred funds to procure benami properties," the tribunal said.

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