Jalna

Authorities have cancelled an order exempting an associate of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange from a penalty of Rs 4.90 crore in an alleged illegal sand mining case in Maharashtra's Jalna district, officials said on Monday.

The action comes after an administrative review of the revised order that earlier removed Katare from the penalty proceedings.

The case relates to alleged illegal extraction and transportation of around 2,000 brass of sand from the Godavari riverbed at Sashtapimpalgaon and Domalgaon in Ambad tehsil in Jalna, the officials said.

In April 2023, the then sub-divisional officer imposed a penalty on 18 persons, including of Rs 4.9 crore on Sanjay Nanasaheb Katare, a member of the core committee of Jarange's movement, they said.

Katare subsequently objected to his inclusion in the proceedings, following which the then tehsildar passed a revised order removing his name from the penalty.

A local resident later approached the state revenue minister, challenging the decision.

Following directions from the Jalna district administration, an inquiry was conducted, which raised questions over the role of the then tehsildar and officials of the minor minerals branch concerned.

On September 21, Ambad Sub-Divisional Officer Umakant Pardhi cancelled the previous order and directed that the restored penalty be recorded against the concerned land and recovered as arrears of land revenue, the officials said.

He also directed that a proposal for disciplinary action against the former tehsildar and the employees concerned be submitted to the Jalna district collector.

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On September 17, Jarange called off his 20-day-old fast and warned the Maharashtra government that he would take the protest to Mumbai if his demands over Maratha reservation were not considered in three months. He has been demanding reservation under the OBC category for the Marathas with the Kunbi caste genealogy.