Ex-Maharashtra Chief Secretary, Pune businessman join I-T probe over SoBo flat purchase

Former chief secretary of Maharashtra Ajoy Mehta and Pune-based businessman Avinash Bhosale last week joined the Income Tax department's probe over a South Mumbai flat recently purchased by Mehta.

The tax department initiated the probe under the Benami Properties Act against the seller of the flat, Anamitra Properties. The department had issued a notice to the company on July 7, saying it had sufficient information to investigate the firm.

Mehta, who was also an adviser to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, was recently appointed chairman of the state real estate regulatory authority.


"The department had sought assistance and I have rendered the same. The flat has been purchased at the market rate using my retirement savings," Mehta told ET on Friday.

On an earlier occasion, Mehta told ET that the I-T department probe was against the seller and that he had nothing to do with it.

Anamitra Properties' filings show one Nikhil Ketan Gokhale as a director of the company. Gokhale is also on the boards of at least seven entities promoted by Bhosale of the ABIL Group.

Bhosale wasn't immediately available for comment. An email sent to ABIL remained unanswered at press time Friday.

Mehta, who was also the Mumbai municipal corporation commissioner between April 2015 and May 2019, had told ET earlier that he had purchased the property at ₹53,000 per square foot.

"I have used my retirement savings to purchase the property and made the payments either in cheques or through RTGS," Mehta had said.

According to the July notice seen by ET, statements of Kamesh Singh and Dipesh Satam, who were shown as shareholders of Anamitra Properties, showed that they were not aware about the company. "They have also denied holding or purchasing any shares of the said company. Therefore, it is clear that the owners of the company have denied ownership," it read.

The I-T department's probe revealed that Singh, who held 99% of the company, was a non-filer of tax returns, while Satam had only filed I-T returns for assessment year 2020-21, showing income of only ₹1,71,002.