Ex-IAS Officer Sentenced to 5 Years for Causing ₹1.2 Crore Loss to Gujarat Government

Ahmedabad (Gujarat): A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has sentenced retired IAS officer Pradeep Niranknath Sharma to five years in prison and imposed a ₹50,000 fine for causing financial loss of ₹1.2 crore to the Gujarat government during a land allocation case in Bhuj.

Sharma, now 71 years old, served as the Kutch District Collector and Chairman of the District Land Pricing Committee (DLPC) from 2003 to 2006. He was found guilty of unlawfully allocating government land in Anjar Taluka’s Varshmedi village to Welspun India Limited and its associated companies at below-market rates, an act linked to money laundering.

Government Property Seized

The court also ordered the seizure of assets worth ₹1.32 crore belonging to Sharma, which were attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during a decade-long investigation into related money laundering offenses. The judgment highlighted that Sharma colluded with others to misuse his official authority, allocating land outside his jurisdiction, resulting in substantial financial loss to the state.

Court Observations

The PMLA Special Court noted that Sharma, as an IAS officer and District Magistrate, abused his position to commit acts of corruption and money laundering. The court emphasized that corruption and money laundering are separate offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act and PMLA, and the severity of the crimes justified independent sentencing. Sharma’s plea to run this sentence concurrently with previous convictions was rejected.

Earlier, Sharma’s discharge petition was dismissed, and the Supreme Court upheld the principle that money laundering is a continuous offense: until the illicit gains are fully integrated into the legal economy, the activity remains punishable. The court ruled that arguments claiming the offense had ceased were invalid legally and factually.

This landmark verdict sends a strong message against corruption, reinforcing that no public official, regardless of rank, is above the law.