Gujarat HC junks bail plea of ex-IAS officer Pradeep Sharma in land allotment case

These crimes are affecting every part of the countrys economic structure and wrecking the peoples faith in the system.

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday rejected the regular bail plea of retired IAS officer Pradeep Sharma in a case of alleged illegal allotment of government land for monetary benefits as the then-collector of Kutch district.

The court observed in its order that it was not inclined to favour the applicant-accused (Sharma) given the fact that there have been several FIRs registered against him in similar offences ''while sitting over the highest post of the government''.

Justice Divyesh Joshi rejected Sharma's bail plea in connection with an FIR lodged by state CID Crime in Kutch under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal breach of trust, disobedience by a public servant in following the direction of law, criminal conspiracy, and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The court observed that in recent times, there has been an increase in socio-economic offences in the country, which are ''solely committed for personal gains''. ''These crimes are affecting every part of the country's economic structure and wrecking the people's faith in the system. In the following circumstances, the person is very influential and there is every chance to mislead the case,'' the court noted.

''So in such cases bail should not be given. Allowing bail application depends upon the nature of the offence and related circumstances,'' it added, while rejecting his plea.

Sharma is in judicial custody in connection with the land allotment case which was filed by CID Crime at Bhuj in Kutch district in September last year.

It was alleged that Sharma, as collector of Kutch district between May 2003 and June 2006, committed illegalities while granting non-agriculture permission for a parcel of land in Bhuj city in connivance with co-accused to get undue monetary benefits.

In the FIR, Sharma was accused of having performed his duties dishonestly and allotting government land to the co-accused at a price lower than its actual value by making illegal conversion of the land from non-agricultural to residential, thereby causing a loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer.

Pradeep Sharma and his brother, retired IPS officer Kuldeep Sharma, were at loggerheads with the BJP government in the state when they held bureaucratic posts.

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