Jailed suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma gets temporary bail from High Court

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today granted two day’s temporary bail to suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma, who is in jail in an alleged money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

A special PMLA court in Ahmedabad had on September 15 refused to grant a five-day temporary bail to pay homage to his late mother during the ‘shraddh’ season, on the ground that he might tamper with evidence if let out of jail.

Sharma had moved High Court which today granted him two day’s bail from Septmeber 29 (tomorrow) to 30 on the condition that he would not be allowed to leave Ahmedabad.

Earlier in the special PMLA court Sharma’s lawyer had prayed for temporary bail between September 18 and September 22, and submitted that he will stay in Ahmedabad during this period. The court, however, had refused to grant bail upholding the public prosecutor’s argument that he had in the past not cooperated with the ED investigating charges against him, and could even use his freedom to tamper with the evidence.

Sharma was arrested by the ED on August 1 this year under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, days after the Supreme Court vacated an interim stay on his arrest. He was sent in judicial custody on August 8 and is currently lodged at Sabarmati Central Jail. The case pertains to the sanction of government land in Bhuj for industrial use to M/s Welspun India Limited and its group companies, Welspun Power and Steel and Welspun Gujarat Style Roharan, as part of a suspected quid pro quo. Sharma sanctioned land to the company in 2004 when he was the collector of Kutch and chairman of the District Land Evaluation and Pricing Committee, which allegedly caused loss to the government exchequer to the tune of Rs 1.2 crore. Against this favour, he allegedly received gain to the tune of Rs 22 lakh in the name of his wife Shyamal P Sharma, the ED probe report said.

Sharma had earlier claimed that he was being victimised by the BJP government in Gujarat for his knowledge of the illegal surveillance of a woman by government agencies.

DeshGujarat