**Retired IAS Officer Sentenced to Five Years for Money Laundering**
A special court has sentenced retired IAS officer Pradeep Sharma to five years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 in connection with a money laundering case involving the allotment of government land at reduced rates during his tenure as Kutch district collector from 2003 to 2006. Special PMLA Judge KM Sojitra found Sharma guilty under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and ordered the confiscation of properties seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during the investigation.
The case against Sharma began in March 2012 when the Ahmedabad zonal office of the ED filed a criminal case against him and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sharma was arrested in July 2016 and granted bail in March 2018.
Investigations revealed that Sharma, while serving as the chairman of the district land pricing committee, approved the allocation of a significant amount of government land to Welspun India Limited at concessional rates, breaching established norms. The ED alleged that Sharma laundered the proceeds of crime through his wife’s bank account, using the funds to pay off a housing loan and purchase agricultural land.
The prosecution claimed that Sharma received illegal benefits for favoring the company, with Rs 29.5 lakh deposited into his wife’s account, who resides in the US. Additionally, he was accused of receiving a mobile SIM card from the company, which paid Rs 2.24 lakh between 2004 and 2009 as part of the illicit gains. The ED also noted that Sharma’s wife was made a 30% partner in Value Packaging Pvt Ltd from 2004 to 2007 to facilitate the laundering of bribe money.
Prior to the ED’s involvement, the CID (Crime) in Rajkot had registered an FIR against Sharma in March 2010 under the Prevention of Corruption Act, followed by another case in September 2010 under the IPC, accusing him of causing a loss of Rs 1.20 crore to the government. In September 2014, the Anti-Corruption Bureau also filed a case against him, alleging that he misused his official position to grant non-agricultural status to land for the Welspun Group of Companies, knowing that his wife was a partner in the associated company.
Based on the 2010 FIR, the ED filed a criminal case against Sharma and others in March 2012, leading to the provisional attachment of Sharma’s properties, including land in Gandhinagar and a residential house.
In a separate case, a Bhuj court sentenced Sharma to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a Rs 10,000 fine in April 2025 for irregularities in the allotment of government land.
**FAQ**
**What was Pradeep Sharma convicted of?**
Pradeep Sharma was convicted of money laundering related to the improper allotment of government land during his tenure as Kutch district collector.