Pune court orders cancellation of Jain property sale deed

Pune, Nov 17 (PTI) The Pune civil court has ordered the cancellation of a controversial sale deed related to a Jain trust's prime property on the request of the trustee and the builder.

The land purchase and the sale deed between the trustee of the Jain Boarding and Gokhale Builders stand legally null and void and cancelled, the court stated.

The order was uploaded on the court's website on Monday.

The court directed that the Sub-Registrar, Haveli-10, and Sub-Registrar, Haveli-13, make suitable entries in the record of registration and Index-II to reflect such cancellation of the agreement for sale dated dated May 15, 2025.

The land, which houses a boarding facility for Jain students and a Bhagwan Mahavir temple, is located in the upmarket Model Colony and was acquired by Gokhale Landmarks LLP earlier this year for Rs 311 crore from the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Memorial Trust.

Of the total sum, Rs 230 crore was paid, while the remaining amount was for the redevelopment of the hostel.

However, the deal faced stiff opposition from the students, alumni, seers, and other members of the Jain community, prompting both parties to call off the deal.

After the opposition from the community, the Gokhale Landmarks LLP and the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Digambar Smarak Trust expressed their desire to cancel the sale deed.

In October, the builder submitted an application to withdraw from the deal, while the trustee approached the charity commissioner and filed a joint affidavit.

The charity commissioner subsequently ordered the cancellation of the sale of the property and directed both parties to complete the legal formalities to cancel the sale deed.

Following the charity commissioner's directives, the trustee and the builder approached the civil court with a request to cancel the sale deed. PTI COR NSK