The Gujarat High Court on Monday issued notices to state government on a bail petition moved by suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma who is lodged in jail in a graft case by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Sharma was arrested by ACB officials on September 30 in the graft case in which he is alleged to have misused his official position in order to favour businessmen. Sharma is currently lodged in Bhuj jail in judicial custody. The special Bhuj court had rejected his bail plea last month.
According to the ACB case Sharma as a district collector of Kutch between 2003 and 2006 reportedly took decisions for personal gain.
The FIR against him states that Sharma allegedly allotted land in Anjar to Welspun in 2004 causing a loss to exchequer of Rs1.2 crore. Sharma is also accused of favouring a private firm that had his wife as beneficiary.
Appearing for Sharma in the HC advocate Narendra Jain said that all the allegation levelled are malafide. Sharma has objected to the way in which ACB lodged an FIR at 1 am and immediately arrested him. He has said that the haste of state in arresting him in the midnight that too in an economic offence reveals the malafide intention of state. He has said the present case is made out from a similar case lodged by CID (crime) in 2010 in which he was granted bail.
The single bench of justice AJ Desai has sought reply from the government and kept the matter for further hearing on Friday.
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