Maha govt suspends former Beed collector Pathak after arrest in land compensation scam

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: State govt has suspended Avinash Pathak, a 2013-batch IAS officer who served as Beed collector till mid-2025, following his arrest in a land compensation scam case. Pathak was arrested in connection with a crime registered at Shivajinagar police station in Beed in Sept 2025, for alleged irregularities in revised compensation for land acquisition. He is currently lodged in judicial custody in Beed.A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Beed police is probing the case, which involves alleged embezzlement and corruption in compensation disbursed for land acquired for the Dhule-Solapur National Highway project. SIT has estimated the total scam at Rs 310 crore, of which Rs 73.4 crore has already been disbursed.According to a govt order issued by the general administration department on May 20, Pathak is deemed to have been placed under suspension with effect from May 7, the date of his arrest, under sub-rule (2) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.The order stated that Pathak was produced before an additional sessions court in Beed on May 8 and was remanded to police custody till May 15, a period exceeding 48 hours, thereby triggering provisions for deemed suspension under AIS rules.Separately, the office of the additional commissioner (revenue) at the divisional commissioner’s office in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has told officials to formally serve the suspension order to Pathak and obtain his acknowledgement before forwarding it to the govt.As per the directive, Pathak will remain under suspension until further orders. His headquarters during this period have been fixed in Beed, and he is not permitted to leave without prior approval from the divisional commissioner. The order also stated that Pathak would be entitled to subsistence allowance, dearness allowance and other admissible benefits under Rule 4 of the AIS (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969. These benefits are subject to his submission of a declaration affirming that he is not engaged in any other employment, business, profession, or vocation.Additionally, govt has barred him from taking up any private employment or engaging in trade, business, or professional activities during the suspension period. “Any breach of these conditions shall be treated as misconduct and may invite further disciplinary action under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969,” the order stated.