Absconding DRO arrested in Pearls group land scam; court remands him to 7-day custody

3 min readChandigarhUpdated: Jul 7, 2026 09:22 PM IST

Witness statements, audio recordings, call records, and the financial trail are cited by investigators as evidence that Sharma helped coordinate the transactions, influenced purchasers, and played a central role in the scheme. (Express File Photo)

The Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Joginder Sharma, the District Revenue Officer (DRO) of the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (Panchkula), in connection with the multi-crore rupees worth Pearls Group land scam.

According to the ACB’s ongoing investigation, Sharma allegedly received Rs 2.4 crore as his share of the scam. He is accused of hiding the cash in Delhi, Manali, and Bhiwani, which the ACB mentioned in the court as one of the grounds for seeking his custodial interrogation.

The ACB officials said the court has remanded Sharma to seven days custody for further interrogation. During this period, investigators said they need to recover the concealed money. The investigation also revealed that Sharma’s mobile phone was switched off for the past eight months and was allegedly hidden with his relatives in Salasar, Rajasthan. The investigation team told the court that they need to recover his mobile phone, which can emerge as a crucial piece of evidence.

According to ACB officials, Sharma’s two relatives, Naveen and Dinesh, residents of Kudal village in Bhiwani district also need to be investigated. The ACB officials mentioned that they also need to confront Sharma with former Tehsildar Sanjay Singla who was arrested earlier in the case, to identify any other government officials or employees involved in the case.

Sharma is accused of being a key conspirator in facilitating illegal sale of a land worth crores allegedly linked to the Pearl Group that was subject to restrictions and could not be transferred without approval from court-appointed Justice RM Lodha Committee overseeing investor recovery. Investigators allege that Sharma, a senior revenue official who was aware of those restrictions from earlier correspondence with the Justice RM Lodha Committee, conspired with revenue officials and private individuals to get a “red-ink stay entry removed from revenue records”, enabling the land’s sale.

The investigators have alleged that the land was first transferred to Sharma’s cousin Naveen and that substantial transaction-related funds moved through a real-estate firm owned by Sharma’s brother, suggesting that his relatives benefited from the deal. Witness statements, audio recordings, call records, and the financial trail are cited by investigators as evidence that Sharma helped coordinate the transactions, influenced purchasers, and played a central role in the scheme.

Sharma, however, denied the allegations and argued that he was not named in the original FIR, had no role in removing the revenue restriction, and was implicated merely because his relatives were involved in later transactions.

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What is the case?

The case pertains to approximately 141 kanals of land in Shahpur village in Raipur Rani, Panchkula, that formed part of a larger tract connected to entities associated with the Pearl Group. The land was subjected to restrictions following proceedings arising from investigations into PGF Ltd. and PACL Ltd., companies that were at the centre of one of India’s one of the largest investor-fund controversies. The HC noted that multiple communications from the CBI, the Justice RM Lodha Committee, and public notices issued by SEBI had repeatedly directed that properties linked to PGF/PACL (Pearls Golden Forest Limited/ Pearls Agrotech Corporation Limited) and associated entities could not be sold without prior approval from the designated committees established under SC supervision.

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