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- PandeyNew Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 7, 2025 09:30 ISTWritten By: Shipra ParasharA special court sentenced retired IAS officer Pradeep Sharma to five years in prison on Saturday and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 in a money laundering case linked to the allotment of government land at concessional rates between 2003 and 2006, during his tenure as Kutch district collector. Special PMLA Judge KM Sojitra convicted Sharma under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and directed that the properties seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during the investigation remain confiscated by the Central government. advertisementIn March 2012, the Ahmedabad zonal office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a criminal case against Sharma and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
- Sharma was arrested in July 2016 and later granted bail in March 2018.
- Investigations revealed that Sharma, as the chairman of the district land pricing committee, sanctioned a large parcel of government land to Welspun India Limited at concessional rates in violation of norms.
- The ED alleged that Sharma used his wife’s bank account to launder proceeds of crime received from Welspun India and its group companies.
- These funds were reportedly used to repay a housing loan and purchase agricultural land. The prosecution said that Sharma received illegal gratification for granting undue favours to the company, with Rs 29.5 lakh credited to his wife’s account, who is a US resident.
