Maharashtra Special Court Acquits MLC Anil Parab in Sai Resort Corruption Case

KHED, MAHARASHTRA – In a significant legal victory for the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, a Special Court in Khed has acquitted Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Anil Parab and four others in the high-profile Sai Resort corruption case. The verdict, delivered by Special Judge Prasanna S. Chandgude, concludes a multi-year investigation into allegations of illegal construction and financial irregularities in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) of Dapoli.

The case, which had been at the center of political discourse in Maharashtra since 2021, involved charges of cheating, forgery, and criminal misconduct. However, the court’s 48-page judgment meticulously dismantled the prosecution’s narrative, describing the evidence presented as fundamentally insufficient and riddled with logical contradictions.

Contradictions in Prosecution Logic The court pointed out a primary "logical fallacy" in the State’s arguments. The prosecution had simultaneously alleged that property taxes were illegally assessed for a non-existent building to create a paper trail, while also claiming that sale deeds were executed without disclosing the construction to evade stamp duty. The Judge noted that the State could not maintain two diametrically opposite versions of reality—claiming the building both did and did not exist for different parts of the same charge.

Ownership and Construction Findings A pivotal point in the acquittal was the determination of ownership and funding. Based on witness testimonies and financial records, the court found that the resort was actually funded and constructed by Sadanand Kadam between 2017 and 2019. Under the Indian Easements Act, the court applied the principle of "dual ownership," ruling that since Anil Parab did not own or construct the building, the charges of stamp duty evasion against him were legally untenable.

Furthermore, the court scrutinized the role of the public servants involved, including a local Sarpanch and a Sub-Divisional Officer. The Judge found that these officials had acted within their administrative purview. The evidence showed they had sought the necessary opinions from town planning authorities before granting Non-Agricultural (NA) permissions, negating the claim of a criminal conspiracy to bypass regulations.

Absence of Pecuniary Gain Crucially, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) failed to produce any evidence of illegal gratification or bribery. The judgment stated there was "not an iota of evidence" to suggest that the accused possessed resources or property disproportionate to their known sources of income. In the absence of a financial "quid pro quo," the charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act were dismissed.

The acquittal of Parab and his co-accused—Sadanand Kadam, Jayram Deshpande, Vinod Depolkar, and Suresh Tupe—marks the end of a legal saga that began with a complaint by former MP Kirit Somaiya. The defense successfully argued that the entire case was built on procedural misunderstandings rather than criminal intent.

Discription: The Special Court in Khed has acquitted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab and four co-accused in the Dapoli resort corruption case, citing a "complete lack of evidence". The court identified a critical logical fallacy in the prosecution's case, which simultaneously claimed property was assessed without construction while alleging stamp duty evasion for a concealed building. 

Judicial findings established that the resort was funded and constructed by Sadanand Kadam, not Parab, invoking the principle of "dual ownership" under the Indian Easements Act. Furthermore, the court found no evidence of bribery or disproportionate assets among the involved public servants. The 48-page judgment concluded that officials followed proper administrative procedures, effectively dismantling the allegations of criminal conspiracy and financial misconduct that had persisted since 2021.