India

Rajasthan ACB Probe Targets IAS Officer Over 40 Villa Purchases

By Livemint

The Rajasthan government has sanctioned an Anti‑Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation into senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal, who is accused of using his official position to benefit a private resort company, resulting in financial losses for the state, according to The Indian Express. The controversy has also drawn attention to Agrawal’s wife, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, leading the state to place both officers on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) for administrative reasons. The allegations center on 40 villas and cottages reportedly bought by Agrawal and family members at resorts in Udaipur and Alwar. The ACB is examining whether the properties were acquired at prices significantly below market value in exchange for alleged favours given to the company. Agrawal, a 1993 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre and an IIT Kanpur civil engineering graduate, has held positions such as district collector in Udaipur, Bikaner, Hanumangarh and Jalore, commissioner of the Jaipur Development Authority, and roles in the Union Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. In February 2024 he was appointed Additional Chief Secretary to Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and later held portfolios including Industries, MSME, State Enterprises and the Delhi‑Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The Rajasthan government placed him on APO on 28 October, relieving him of his duties. Mathur, a 1995 batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, was serving as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Planning, Modernisation and Welfare before her removal. She was placed on APO on 31 October, a day after the state approved the ACB investigation into her husband. Some properties under scrutiny were allegedly registered in Mathur’s name and those of other family members. The ACB’s preliminary inquiry focuses on transactions involving Goyal Fashions Private Limited, which operates resorts under the Ananta brand. The bureau alleges that Agrawal colluded with the company’s directors, misusing his official position to secure benefits such as relaxed resort construction conditions, approvals without mandatory certificates, and special concessional financial packages. In return, Agrawal and his family are said to have purchased 40 villas and cottages at the company’s resorts in Bujhda, Udaipur, and Ajabgarh, Alwar, at prices below market value. According to The Times of India, Agrawal and Mathur each bought 10 villas at the Bujhda resort for ₹15 lakh apiece, and eight villas at the Ajabgarh property for around ₹16.5 lakh each. Their two sons and other relatives were also among the alleged purchasers. The Rajasthan government has approved an investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which requires prior approval for inquiries into certain decisions taken by public servants in the discharge of official duties.