Ex-IAS Officer Sentenced to Five Years in Bhuj Land-Scam Linked to Welspun
Ex-IAS Officer Sentenced to Five Years in Bhuj Land-Scam Linked to Welspun
Former IAS officer Pradeep Sharma gets five years for money laundering linked to land allotment to Welspun; ₹1.2 crore loss to exchequer and property seizures
Ahmedabad: A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Ahmedabad convicted former IAS officer Pradeep Sharma for money laundering and sentenced him to five years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹50,000. Sharma had served as the District Collector of Bhuj in Kutch from 2003 to 2006 and later chaired the District Land Pricing Committee. The court found that, in his capacity as DLPC chief, he allegedly connived to allot government land in Varshmedi village, Anjar taluka, Bhuj, to Welspun India Ltd and its group companies at rates ranging from ₹15 to ₹18 per square metre, well below the fixed government rate of ₹78 per sq metre, causing a loss of ₹1.2 crore to the exchequer.
The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation formed the basis for the money laundering charge, with the court noting that illegal gratification was channelled through Sharma’s wife, Shyamal P. Sharma, who was made a 30% partner in Value Packaging Private Limited, a firm linked to the Welspun group, without initial capital investment. Alleged financial trail included ₹22 lakh credited to his wife’s NRO account, ₹7.5 lakh as goodwill, and ₹28,17,407 (including profit share and interest) routed as profit distribution. There were also hawala-like transactions used to transfer about ₹1 crore to the United States, and funds were reportedly used to repay a Gandhinagar housing loan and to acquire agricultural land in Dehgam.
In addition to the PMLA conviction, Sharma is said to be serving a separate sentence since January 2025 in a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court ordered confiscation to the Union government of properties previously attached by the ED, including his Gandhinagar house and Dehgam land. The judgment underscores ongoing efforts to curb corruption in land deals and related money laundering schemes in Gujarat.
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