Ex-IAS Officer Pradeep Sharma Gets 5 Years Sentence in Corruption Case

GG News Bureau
Ahmedabad, 21st Jan. A sessions court on Monday sentenced former IAS officer Pradeep Sharma to five years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 in connection with a corruption case dating back to 2004, when he was serving as the collector of Kutch district in Gujarat. The court convicted Sharma for criminal misconduct and obtaining undue advantages under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case, filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), involved the controversial allotment of land to Welspun Group at a substantially reduced price, causing a loss of Rs 1.2 crore to the state government.

Principal district and sessions judge KM Sojitra found Sharma guilty under Section 13(2) for criminal misconduct by a public servant and Section 11 for obtaining an undue advantage. Sharma received a five-year sentence with a fine of Rs 50,000 under Section 13(2) and a three-year sentence with a fine of Rs 25,000 under Section 11, with both sentences running concurrently. Sharma is currently incarcerated in Bhuj for another corruption case.

The case involved allegations that Sharma allocated land to Welspun Group at a price 25 percent lower than the prevailing market rate, causing a financial loss to the state. In exchange, the company allegedly made Sharma’s wife a 30 percent partner in one of its subsidiaries and extended her a benefit of Rs 29.5 lakh. Sharma was arrested by ACB in 2014 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 29 lakh from the company.

Sharma, who has been at odds with the Gujarat state government during the tenure of Narendra Modi, had previously sought a CBI probe into a controversial snooping case, further intensifying his conflict with the state administration.