Eknath Shinde Linked to ₹50,000 Crore Navi Mumbai Land Scam
• Forest Land Grab Near Airport Sparks Uproar
•Biwalkar Family’s Illegal Reclaim Raises Questions
•CIDCO Allotment Dispute Reaches Supreme Court
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
A ₹50,000 crore land scam has rocked Raigad district and Navi Mumbai involving the fraudulent transfer of 4,078 acres of forest land and the illegal allotment of prime CIDCO plots. According to exclusive inputs accessed by the Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT), alleged fraud landlord Yashwant Narayan Bivalkar , with the backing of political and bureaucratic power, benefited from blatant violations of multiple land laws.
Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) sources further allege that the scam was facilitated during the tenure of then Chief Minister and now
Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, while the role of then CIDCO chairman Sanjay Shirsat has also come under the scanner for bypassing legal safeguards.
A shocking ₹50,000 crore land scam has come to light involving 4,078 acres of forest land located near the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. The land, originally transferred to the Forest Department in 1959 under agreement and was notified as reserved forest, was allegedly reclaimed illegally by the fraud landlord Yashwant Narayan Bivalkar family with the help of powerful officials in CIDCO, Revenue, and Urban Development departments.
According to records, this land—treated as reserved forest since 1959 ,was wrongfully restored to private ownership through a questionable 1987 government notification. Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) sources allege that this move not only violated multiple legal safeguards but also opened the door for land allotment fraud under CIDCO’s 12.5% scheme.
How the fraud Biwalkar Family Reclaimed 4,078 Acres of Reserved Forest
Historical documents reveal that the Biwalkar family was granted nearly 5,000 acres in 1936 by the British Privy Council as saranjam Inam land. Later, in 1959, the family handed over 4,078 acres to the Forest Department under a 90-year agreement. This land was subsequently notified as private forest land and brought under permanent state control in 1975.
However, in 1987, a controversial notification restored ownership back to the Bivalkar. Using this flawed notification, the family began demanding land allotments under CIDCO’s 12.5% compensation scheme, originally meant only for legitimate landholders who were dispossessed due to acquisition of land for navimumbai project
CIDCO Allotment Dispute Reaches Supreme Court
The fraud Bivalkar claimed entitlement against land parcels in Ulwe (Survey No. 51) under the 12.5% scheme. When CIDCO denied the allotment citing legal restrictions, the family approached the Bombay High Court, which ruled in their favor.
CIDCO challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, securing a stay order in 2015, arguing that the land was never legally theirs to reclaim. Despite this, political pressure allegedly ensured that the family continued to push for benefits, with insiders suggesting collusion at the highest levels of the Urban Development Ministry.
Allegations of Collusion: Ministers and CIDCO Under Spotlight
Documents accessed by Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) point to direct involvement of senior officials and politicians. Sources allege that then Urban Development Minister (now Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) facilitated favorable decisions for the fraud Biwalkar family, bypassing objections raised by CIDCO’s own managing directors.
In one instance, a special short-term appointment of Sanjay Shirsat as CIDCO chairman allegedly enabled the allotment process to move forward. Around 8,000 sq. meters have already been transferred in the Bivalkars name, with another 53,000 sq. meters reportedly allotted
Forest Land Scam Demands ED and CBI Probe
Critics argue that this scam undermines both Forest Act and Maharashtra’s land ceiling regulations. Legal experts note that the Maharashtra Agricultural Land Ceiling Act, 1961, capped ownership at 54 acres, making the Bivalkars ’ claim over thousands of acres entirely unlawful.
Calls are now growing for a central agency probe. Activists demand that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigate financial irregularities, money laundering angles, and the political-bureaucratic nexus.
“Such a massive transfer of forest land cannot happen without systemic collusion. A CBI probe is the only way to unearth the truth,” a senior source told Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT).
A ₹50,000 Crore Test Case for Accountability
The Navi Mumbai forest land scam is emerging as one of Maharashtra’s largest real estate and environmental frauds. With the upcoming international airport adding immense commercial value, the stakes are high.
As the matter remains pending before the Supreme Court, the case has become a litmus test for judicial integrity, environmental governance, and political accountability in Maharashtra.
