High Court dismisses suspended IAS officer’s anticipatory bail plea
15 April 2015 5:37 AM IST
The Gujarat High Court has turned down the anticipatory bail plea of suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma, who is facing a money-laundering case filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED), but extended the stay to his arrest till April 27.
Justice Paresh Upadhyaya yesterday dismissed Sharma’s petition, saying that the court was not in a position “to record satisfaction to the effect that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the applicant is not guilty of the offence”.
The court, however, did not go into Sharma’s contention that the state authorities had acted against him with malafide intentions.
Sharma is accused of selling a government land at cheaper rates to Wellspun Group in Kutch district in 2003-2004. In March 2012, ED registered a case against Sharma under Prevention of Monehy Laundering Act.
As per ED, Sharma alloted land to Wellspun at 25 per cent of the prevailing market rate which caused a loss of around Rs 1.2 crore to the state exchequer.
In return, the company allegedly made Sharma’s wife a 30 per cent partner in one of its subsidiaries, Value Packaging, without any investment on her part, and extended benefits of Rs 29.5 lakh to her, as per the complaint.
Justice Paresh Upadhyaya yesterday dismissed Sharma’s petition, saying that the court was not in a position “to record satisfaction to the effect that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the applicant is not guilty of the offence”.
The court, however, did not go into Sharma’s contention that the state authorities had acted against him with malafide intentions.
Sharma is accused of selling a government land at cheaper rates to Wellspun Group in Kutch district in 2003-2004. In March 2012, ED registered a case against Sharma under Prevention of Monehy Laundering Act.
As per ED, Sharma alloted land to Wellspun at 25 per cent of the prevailing market rate which caused a loss of around Rs 1.2 crore to the state exchequer.
In return, the company allegedly made Sharma’s wife a 30 per cent partner in one of its subsidiaries, Value Packaging, without any investment on her part, and extended benefits of Rs 29.5 lakh to her, as per the complaint.
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