Pradeep Sharma, suspended IAS officer, gets pre-arrest bail

AHMEDABAD: A local court here today granted anticipatory (pre-arrest) bail to suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma in connection with an inquiry started by the Gujarat police's Anti-Corruption Bureau against him for having assets allegedly disproportionate to known sources of his income.

Additional Sessions Judge H J Joshi ordered that if an FIR was registered against Sharma, he would be released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety of the like amount.

"The applicant shall mark his presence before the concerned police station on every fifth day of the month between 10:00 hrs to 13:00 hrs till the charge sheet is filed," the order said.

Sharma, arrested by ACB in two other cases in the past, said in the application that ACB had initiated a fresh 'open inquiry' against him regarding his assets and called him twice for questioning recently.

"Since the petitioner (Sharma) has animosity with some political leaders, the petitioner will be arrested in connection with the present open inquiry," the plea said, without mentioning any political leader.

Sharma's lawyer R J Goswami had argued that ACB had not made anything clear about the case. Public Prosecutor Sudhir Brhambhatt opposed the application, saying that there was a prima facie case against Sharma.

But the prosecutor also conceded that no fresh FIR had been lodged in the case so far.