Former IAS Officer Pradeep Sharma Sentenced in 2004 Corruption Case

Pradeep Sharma, a former IAS officer, was sentenced by a sessions court to five years in jail and fined Rs 75,000 for a corruption case dating back to 2004. The case involved unlawful allotment of land to the Welspun Group, causing a financial loss to the government.

A sessions court has sentenced ex-IAS officer Pradeep Sharma to five years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 in a corruption case from 2004. The case revolved around his tenure as the Kutch district collector in Gujarat.

The court found Sharma guilty of illegal land allotment to the Welspun Group, which allegedly led to a Rs 1.2 crore loss to the government exchequer. The principal district and sessions judge, KM Sojitra, ruled under sections 13(2) and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The prosecution alleged that Sharma facilitated the allotment of land at a fraction of the market rate. In exchange, his wife received a 30% stake in a Welspun subsidiary. Sharma faces multiple other corruption cases and is currently jailed in Bhuj, underscoring the ongoing scrutiny of his past actions.

(With inputs from agencies.)