Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Significant discrepancies have been uncovered in multiple government challans linked to land conversion files sanctioned by suspended resident deputy collector Vinod Khirolkar, according to sources close to the inquiry. The committee investigating the matter is now assessing the extent of revenue loss caused to the government, and its final report is expected by next week.
The probe led by additional district collector Sambhajirao Adkune centres on the conversion of Class-2 land to Class-1 during Khirolkar’s tenure. Preliminary findings suggest irregularities in several of the 88 land conversion files he approved. Khiroalkar, along with revenue assistant Deepak Tribhuvan, was arrested on May 27, 2025, for allegedly accepting a bribe to convert a Class-2 plot in Tisgaon. They initially took Rs 23 lakh and later demanded an additional Rs 18 lakh, of which Rs 5 lakh was received when the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested them. In response, district collector Deelip Swami appointed an inquiry committee comprising additional collector Sambhajirao Adkune, deputy collector Suchita Shinde, accounts officer Vinod Shastri, tehsildar Rupa Chitrak, and other revenue officials.
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Khiroalkar alleges pressure from seniors
In a parallel development, sources from the revenue department revealed that Khirolkar has filed a complaint with the ACB headquarters in Mumbai, reportedly claiming that his decisions in the conversion cases were influenced by senior officers. However, the district administration has not yet received any official correspondence or inquiry related to this claim.