A special court in Ahmedabad has delivered a significant verdict, sentencing retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pradeep Sharma to five years of rigorous imprisonment in a high-profile money laundering case. The case is connected to the sanctioning of government land to a private company at concessional rates during his tenure as the Kutch district collector between 2003 and 2006.
The Court's Verdict and Penalties
Special PMLA judge KM Sojitra convicted Sharma under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on the former bureaucrat. In a major blow, the court further ordered that properties seized from Sharma by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during its investigation will remain permanently confiscated by the Central government.
This conviction adds to Sharma's legal troubles. Separately, in April 2025, a court in Bhuj had already sentenced him to five years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000 in a 2011 case. That case was related to irregularities in the allotment of government land to a different private company, Saw Pipes Pvt. Ltd., back in 2004.
Details of the Money Laundering Scheme
The investigation, spearheaded by the Ahmedabad zonal office of the ED, revealed a complex web of financial transactions. Sharma, while serving as the chairman of the district land pricing committee, allegedly sanctioned a large parcel of government land to Welspun India Limited at rates much lower than the norm, causing a loss to the public exchequer.
The ED's chargesheet detailed how Sharma used his wife's bank account to layer the proceeds of crime received from Welspun India and its group companies. Approximately ₹29.5 lakh was credited to his wife's account, who is a resident of the United States. These illicit funds were allegedly used to repay a housing loan and purchase agricultural land.
The prosecution argued that Sharma received illegal gratification for extending undue favours to the company. The ED claimed that his wife was made a 30% partner in an associated firm, Value Packaging Pvt Ltd, between 2004 and 2007 specifically to channelize bribe money. This partnership was described as a special purpose vehicle to route the proceeds of crime.
Long Legal Journey and Multiple Cases
The legal saga for Pradeep Sharma began over a decade ago. The CID (Crime) in Rajkot registered an initial First Information Report (FIR) against him in March 2010 under the Prevention of Corruption Act, accusing him of causing a loss of ₹1.20 crore to the government.
Based on this FIR, the ED registered its own criminal case in March 2012. Sharma was first arrested in July 2016 and was released on bail in March 2018 after spending nearly 20 months in custody. During its probe, the ED had provisionally attached Sharma's properties, including land in Gandhinagar district and a house.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau also registered a case in September 2014, alleging that Sharma misused his position by granting non-agricultural status to an agricultural land for the Welspun Group within just 40 days, despite knowing his wife was a partner in the linked company.
With the latest conviction, Pradeep Sharma, once a powerful district collector, is currently lodged in jail, facing the consequences of actions taken during his official tenure. The verdict underscores the continued crackdown on corruption and money laundering among public officials in India.
