New Delhi, Apr 22 (Reporter) The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Gujarat government, on the bail plea of retired IAS officer Pradeep Sharma in a case involving the alleged illegal allotment of government land for monetary gains during his tenure as the collector of Kutch district. A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued a notice to the Gujarat government and asked them to reply within four weeks. Sharma is presently in judicial custody in connection with the land allotment case filed by the CID Crime Branch in Bhuj, Kutch district, in September 2023. The allegations against Sharma are that, during his tenure as the Kutch district collector from May 2003 to June 2006, he unlawfully facilitated non-agricultural permission for land in Bhuj city, resulting in illicit monetary gains. According to the FIR, Sharma allotted government land to co-accused at undervalued rates by illegally converting it from non-agricultural to residential use, causing significant losses to the state exchequer. Pradeep Sharma and his brother, retired IPS officer Kuldeep Sharma, were known for their conflicts with the BJP government in the state during their bureaucratic tenures. Sharma challenged the Gujarat High Court’s March 20 order in which it denied him bail in the case. The high court noted that several FIRs were filed against Sharma for similar offences during his tenure as a high-ranking government official, and declined to grant him bail. The FIR, lodged by the state CID Crime in Kutch, accused Sharma of criminal breach of trust, disobedience by a public servant, criminal conspiracy, and violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Supreme Court issued notice to the state government and asked them to reply within four weeks...////...