Ex-IAS Pradeep Sharma sent to 5 years in jail in corruption case

The sessions court in Kutch sentenced former Kutch collector Pradeep Sharma to five years in jail for his role in a land corruption case.

Apart from the jail term, the court also imposed a fine of ₹75,000 on the former IAS officer.

Sharma was found guilty of allotting land to a private firm by misusing his position in 2004, causing a significant loss to the government exchequer.

It was also found that as part of the alleged deal with the private firm, Sharma’s wife Shyamal was made a partner in another firm associated with the private firm that had acquired the land, as per reports.

Another land scam accusation

Meanwhile, the Local Crime Branch (LCB)arrested Sharma on March 12, 2024 in connection with another case of illegal land allotment in Anjar that caused financial loss to the government.

Sharma was arrested after his custody was handed over to the LCB from Palara Jail in Bhuj.

The case was registered against Sharma and the then resident deputy collector Ajitsinh Zala by Anjar Mamlatdar Rahul Kumar Khambhara at the A division police station.

The accused officials, misusing their powers, had approved an application by Anjar’s Rasila Jethwa to approve 14 gunthas of government wasteland next to her house.

By ignoring government rules and regulations, the accused officials ordered the illegal allotment of land, causing a financial loss of ₹3.54 cr to the government.

According to reports, Sharma’s lawyer is likely to challenge the session court’s order in high court.

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