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{{Short description|Administrative Officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Pradeep Nirankarnath Sharma
| image =
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| office = Indian Administrative Service
| term_start = 1981
| term_end = 2009 (Suspended)
| predecessor =
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| alma_mater =
| occupation = Multiple roles as Collector (DM) & Municipal Commissioner
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'''Pradeep Nirankarnath Sharma''' is a former [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS officer]] of Gujarat. In 2013, he filed a petition in [[Supreme Court of India|supreme court]] alleging that [[Narendra Modi]] had spied on an architect using state machinery and had called for a CBI probe into it.<ref name="''Hindu2014'">{{cite news |title=Snoopgate: Delete allegations against Modi, says SC|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/snoopgate-delete-allegations-against-modi-says-sc/article5586563.ece |access-date=21 July 2025 |work=The Hindu |date=17 January 2014 |language=en-IN}}</ref>

He is facing at least five cases of corruption and is accused of illegal land allocation in [[Kutch]] and [[Bhuj]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ed-locks-rs-6-crore-assets-in-probe-against-ex-gujarat-ias-officer/articleshow/120742890.cms|title=ED locks Rs 6 crore assets in probe}}</ref>

== Family ==
He is brother of [[Kuldeep Sharma (Cop)|Kuldeep Sharma]], a former [[Indian Police Service|IPS officer]] (ex-[[Director General of Police|DIG]], Gujarat) who had accused Amit Shah, then Home Minister of state of accepting a bribe of 2.5 crore to bail out a 1600 crore fraudster involving a bank of which Shah was the director.<ref>{{cite news |title=The accusations against the BJP's new president |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/accusations-against-bjp-new-president |access-date=22 July 2025 |work=caravanmagazine.in |language=en}}</ref>

== Career ==
Sharma held various administrative positions during his near thirty-year career including that of [[District magistrate]], Bhuj, [[Kutch]] and [[Rajkot]] and as municipal commissioner of [[Jamnagar]] and [[Bhavnagar]].<ref>{{cite news |title=IAS Story: पढ़ लिखकर बने डिप्‍टी कलेक्‍टर, प्रमोशन से हो गए आईएएस, अब हो गई जेल! |url=https://hindi.news18.com/news/career/jobs-former-ias-officer-pradeep-sharma-story-gujarat-cader-deputy-collector-now-sentenced-to-5-years-and-fined-ws-kl-9188911.html |access-date=21 July 2025 |work=News18 हिंदी |date=20 April 2025 |language=hi}}</ref> A 2011 article by BBC (‘Gujarat's astonishing rise from rubble of 2001 quake’) credits Sharma of being instrumental in redeveloping the [[Bhuj]] region after the devastating [[2001 Gujarat earthquake|2001 earthquake]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gujarat's astonishing rise from rubble of 2001 quake |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12309791 |access-date=22 July 2025 |work=BBC News |date=30 January 2011}}</ref> He was instrumental in faster rebuilding of streets and several public gardens.{{sfn|Patel|Revi|2012|page=200}}

== Stalk-gate/Snoopgate==
{{anchor | Snoopgate }}

In 2013, Sharma had alleged that Narendra Modi, the current [[Prime Minister of India]], tailed and snooped upon a female architect with whom Modi had allegedly became obsessed with, by misusing the Gujarat state machinery when Modi was then Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stalk-Gate: Woman's father wrote letter to save Narendra Modi, claims IAS officer |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/stalk-gate-womans-father-wrote-letter-to-save-narendra-modi-claims-ias-officer-542133 |access-date=22 July 2025 |work=www.ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref> Pradeep supported his allegations with audio tapes leaked by [[Cobrapost]] and Gulail.com.<ref>{{cite news |title=THE STALKERS: AMIT SHAH'S ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE EXPOSED |url=https://cobrapost.com/blog/stalkers-amit-shahs-illegal-surveillance-exposed/904 |access-date=22 July 2025 |work=Cobrapost}}</ref> The tapes which are conversations between a police officer and [[Amit Shah]], then Home Minister of Gujarat and the present home minister and close aide of Modi show, that every movement of the woman was tracked on the behest of some 'saheb' (master) where the "Saheb" is widely understood to be Modi.<ref>{{cite news |title=For 'saheb',Modi's aide Amit Shah accused of using cops to snoop on woman |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/for-saheb-modis-aide-amit-shah-accused-of-using-cops-to-snoop-on-woman/ |access-date=22 July 2025 |work=The Indian Express |date=16 November 2013 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=India orders inquiry into Gujarat spying allegations |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-25519314 |access-date=22 July 2025 |work=BBC News |date=26 December 2013}}</ref> The allegations were refuted and instead Sharma was accused of having doubtful personality traits.<ref>{{cite news|title=Suspended bureaucrat Pradeep Sharma's antics forced snooping on woman in Gujarat|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/snoopgate-controversy-narendra-modi-pradeep-sharma-gujarat-government-187351-2014-04-03}}</ref>

In April 2013, suspended IPS officer G.L. Singhl told [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] (CBI) that he was directed multiple times by Amit Shah to tail Pradeep Sharma.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2024|page=130}} Singhl provided 267 clips of such conversations which show that the over-reaching surveillance was ordered and maintained by Amit Shah, the then home minister of Gujarat, on the female architect, her family and also the officer Sharma.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.outlookindia.com/national/no-ones-family-news-288625|title=No one's family|work=Outlook India}}</ref>

The accusations snowballed into a major controversy and embarrassment for the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]], the current ruling party who had nominated Modi as prime ministerial candidate for [[2014 Indian general election]]s.{{sfn|Sardesai|2015|page=193}} The Gujarat State agencies submitted in court & the BJP leaders accepted in public that snooping did happen which they said was done on behest of girl's father and with her knowledge.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gujarat justifies 2009 snoopgate; opposes CBI probe |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/gujarat-justifies-2009-snoopgate-opposes-cbi-probe/article5867585.ece |access-date=22 July 2025 |work=The Hindu |date=3 April 2014 |language=en-IN}}</ref> S.K. Saikia, the then police commissioner of [[Ahemdabad]] said in an interview that if such surveillance was legal, he should have had some paperwork for it.<ref>{{cite news |title=All you need to know about Snoopgate |url= https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/all-you-need-to-know-about-snoopgate-113112700241_1.html |access-date=22 July 2025 |agency=Business Standard}}</ref>

== Arrests and charges==
=== 2009 - First arrest ===

Pradeep sharma was first arrested on corruption charges by Gujarat police when he was Municipal commissioner, Bhavnagar but he later got bail.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/ED-arrests-suspended-IAS-officer-Pradip-Sharma/article14518479.ece|title=ED arrests suspended officer|work=The Hindu|year=2016}}</ref> He was suspended in 2010 on corruption charges.

=== 2014 ===
In August 2014, he filed a petition in Supreme Court for a CBI probe into cases against him but his application was rejected. He has been since slapped with multiple cases of corruption which his family allege are because of his allegations.<ref name="Wire">{{cite news|title=IAS Officer Being 'Taught a Lesson' for Taking on Modi, Says Family |url=https://thewire.in/politics/rights/ias-officer-being-taught-a-lesson-for-taking-on-modi-says-family|work=The Wire}}</ref>

He was arrested in October 2014 in a graft case by Anti-Corruption Bureau.<ref>{{cite news|title= Suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma held in graft case |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/suspended-ias-officer-pradeep-sharma-arrested-in-corruption-case/article6464759.ece}}</ref>

=== 2016—2018===
A case of money laundering was filed against him by [[Enforcement Directorate]] for and misusing his powers to allocate land to one M/S. Wellspun Company Ltd and to M/s Saw Pipes Ltd causing a loss of ₹1,20,30,824/- to the government. He was convicted of the crime on 08.01.2018 by an order passed by the Special Judge (PMLA), Ahmedabad, in PMLA Case No. 02 of 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://indiankanoon.org/doc/28493992/|title= Pradeep Nirankarnath Sharma V. Directorate Of Enforcement And Anr|work=Vikram Nath|year=2025}}</ref> This was consequently appealed<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-18 |title=Money Laundering as a Continuing Offence: Clarifying the Scope of PMLA in Sharma v. Directorate of Enforcement |url=https://www.casemine.com/commentary/in/money-laundering-as-a-continuing-offence:-clarifying-the-scope-of-pmla-in-sharma-v.-directorate-of-enforcement/view |access-date= |website=www.casemine.com |language=en}}</ref> in upper courts and decided per below.

=== 2025 ===
He was sentenced to two five-year imprisonments in aforementioned cases, first one in January (by [[Ahemdabad]] sessions court) over allotment of land to Welspun Group at alleged loss of 1.2 crore to the government<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=2025-01-21 |title=Former Gujarat IAS officer Pradeep Sharma gets five years in jail in 2004 corruption case |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gujarat/former-gujarat-ias-officer-pradeep-sharma-gets-five-years-in-jail-in-2004-corruption-case/article69122147.ece |access-date= |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> and other in April (by Bhuj district court) over allotment of land to Saw Pipes Pvt Ltd in excess of legal limit of two hectares.<ref>{{cite news|title= Gujarat court sentences ex-IAS officer, three others to 5-year jail terms in land allotment case|work= The Hindu|date= 19 April 2025|url= https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gujarat/gujarat-court-sentences-ex-ias-officer-three-others-to-5-year-jail-terms-in-land-allotment-case/article69468792.ece}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book |first=Christophe|last=Jaffrelot|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|title=Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today's India |date=1 March 2024 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-779052-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Upr8EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT130|language=en|page=130}}
*{{cite book |last1=Patel |first1=Shirish |last2=Revi |first2=Aromar |title=Recovering from Earthquakes: Response, Reconstruction and Impact Mitigation in India |date=26 July 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-51807-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oUSUtdwvK_sC&pg=PA200 |language=en|page=200}}
*{{cite book |last1=Sardesai |first1=Rajdeep |title=2014: The Election That Changed India |year=2015 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-010-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IJBuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT193|page=193 |language=en}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Pradeep Nirankarnath}}
[[Category:Indian Administrative Service officers convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Pradeep Nirankarnath Sharma - Revision history

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