SC seeks Guj govt's reply on bail plea of ex-IAS officer Pradeep Sharma

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response of the Gujarat government on the bail plea of retired IAS officer Pradeep Sharma in a case of alleged illegal allotment of government land for monetary benefits during his tenure as the collector of Kutch district. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the Gujarat government and sought its response in four weeks. Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for Sharma, said, "I am the usual weeping boy of the state, who is seeking relief in the matter." The bench said, "Alright, we are issuing the notice." Sharma has challenged the March 20 order of the Gujarat High Court rejecting his bail plea in the case. The high court had observed that it was not inclined to favour the applicant-accused (Sharma) given the fact that there have been several FIRs registered against him in similar offences "while sitting over the highest post of the government". The FIR was lodged against Sharma by state CID Crime in Kutch unde