Former IAS Officer Sentenced for Land Allotment Corruption

Pradeep Sharma, a former IAS officer, was sentenced to five years in prison for irregular land allotment in Gujarat's Kutch district. Along with three others, he faced charges of criminal breach, conspiracy, and disobedience, causing financial losses to the state by exceeding land allotment limits.

In a landmark verdict, a court in Gujarat's Kutch district on Saturday handed a five-year rigorous imprisonment sentence to former IAS officer Pradeep Sharma. The case involved irregularities in 2011 concerning the allotment of government land to a private entity, which incurred financial losses to the public exchequer.

The ruling, issued by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate JV Buddha in Bhuj, also affected urban planner Natubhai Desai, former mamlatdar Narendra Prajapati, and ex-resident deputy collector Ajitsinh Zala, who received identical sentences along with a Rs 10,000 fine each.

The crux of the case dates back to 2004 when Sharma, as the district collector, unlawfully allocated land to Saw Pipes Pvt Ltd, breaching the Gujarat government's cap and regulations. Special public prosecutor H B Jadeja emphasized the usage of comprehensive documentary evidence and witness statements during the trial.

(With inputs from agencies.)