The Supreme Court has rejected the bail plea of former IAS officer Pradeep N Sharma in a case related to alleged irregularities in land allotment in Gujarat’s Bhuj district.
A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta delivered the verdict.
Sharma is accused of misusing his position to benefit a private company at the state’s expense.
Gujarat Land Scam: Allegations Against Former IAS Officer Pradeep N Sharma
In 2004, while serving as the collector of Kutch district, Sharma allegedly allotted around 150 acres of land to the Welspun Group at a rate 25% lower than the market value.
This deal reportedly caused a loss of ₹1.2 crore to the Gujarat government.
According to the investigation, the Welspun Group allegedly rewarded Sharma by giving his wife a 30% partnership in its subsidiary company, Value Packaging.
Through this deal, Sharma’s wife reportedly gained around ₹30 lakh.
The FIR states that Sharma, while deciding a land confiscation issue as the Collector, cancelled the confiscation order and restored the land to the original allottees.
He allegedly knew that the allottees were living abroad and not cultivating the land, which violated land restoration rules.
Sharma is already in jail for another corruption case. His bail plea argued that the charges were politically motivated, but the Supreme Court refused to accept this claim.
The court noted that the evidence pointed to deliberate wrongdoing and misuse of power.
Sharma’s legal troubles have drawn attention to the broader issue of corruption in land dealings in Gujarat.
The court’s decision reinforces the seriousness of the allegations and the ongoing legal scrutiny surrounding the case.
The case highlights the need for stricter oversight in government land allotments to prevent similar scams in the future.
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