Former Kutch Collector Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Land Allocation Fraud

The Special Court has sentenced the former Bhuj District Collector to five years of rigorous imprisonment with an additional fine of Rs 50,000.

A Special Court operating under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in Ahmedabad (Rural) has found former Bhuj (Kutch) District Collector Pradeep Nirankarnath Sharma guilty in a significant land allotment scam that occurred during his administrative tenure.

The court ruling includes five years of rigorous imprisonment plus a fine of Rs 50,000. Should Sharma fail to pay the fine, he faces an additional three months of simple imprisonment as penalty.

The case stems from activities between 2003 and 2006 when Sharma served as head of the District Land Pricing Committee (DLPC). According to Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigations, he misused his official authority to allocate multiple government land parcels in Varshmedi village, Anjar taluka, to Welspun India Limited and its associated companies at rates considerably below government-approved standards. This deliberate undervaluation resulted in substantial financial losses to the State treasury and generated illegal proceeds exceeding Rs 1.20 crore.

The ED launched money laundering proceedings after state agencies identified irregularities in the land allocation process. Properties acquired through the alleged criminal proceeds were provisionally attached during the investigation phase. In its final judgment, the court ordered the confiscation of these attached assets in favor of the Central Government under Section 8(5) of the PMLA.

Additionally, the court specified that Sharma's time spent in custody during the investigation and trial will be considered and deducted from the total sentence. The court also ordered that non-valuable seized items be destroyed once the appeal period ends, while valuable unclaimed items will be transferred to government possession following established legal procedures.

Sharma, who had been free on bail during the trial, has been instructed to surrender immediately and enter judicial custody to begin serving his sentence. The court has sent copies of the judgment to the District Magistrate of Ahmedabad and relevant authorities for proper implementation.