The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a preliminary inquiry against senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal over alleged misuse of his official position to benefit a private resort company and the purchase of villas by him and his family members at rates the agency suspects were substantially below market value.
The state government approved the investigation on Friday, the same day the ACB announced the inquiry. Agrawal, who was serving as additional chief secretary, Industries, was placed on awaiting posting orders on Wednesday.
According to the ACB, Agrawal allegedly colluded with directors of Goyal Fashions Private Limited, which operates hotels and resorts under the Ananta brand. The bureau alleged that the company received undue benefits, including relaxations in conditions governing resort construction, approvals without verification of mandatory certificates and a special concessional financial package.
The inquiry is also examining alleged property transactions involving resorts at Bujhda in Udaipur and Ajabgarh in Alwar district. The ACB said preliminary investigations indicated that Agrawal and his IPS officer wife, Prashakha Mathur, each purchased 10 villas at the Bujhda resort in March 2026 for Rs 15 lakh per villa. At the Ajabgarh resort, eight villas were allegedly purchased in their names for Rs 16.5 lakh each.
The bureau further alleged that the couple’s two sons acquired four villas at approximately Rs 15 lakh each, while another four were acquired in the names of relatives at approximately Rs 16.5 lakh per villa. The agency suspects that the properties were bought at prices substantially below their market value. The ACB’s account does not establish the final market value of the villas or whether the transactions violated any law; those issues form part of the preliminary inquiry.
A key issue identified by the bureau is the timing of the transactions. It alleged that 20 villas were registered in Agrawal’s name on March 27, the same day the Finance Department issued a special concessional financial package to Goyal Fashions Private Limited. The agency is examining whether the officer’s official role was connected to benefits allegedly extended to the company and whether the state suffered financial losses as a result.
The ACB said it had reviewed newspaper reports, examined a factual report from the Industries Department and gathered information from confidential sources before registering the inquiry. It is also investigating whether Agrawal accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income in his own name or through family members.
The probe covers alleged conduct during Agrawal’s previous tenures as Udaipur district collector, chairperson of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board and additional chief secretary, Industries, among other positions. The case places administrative approvals, construction-related compliance and public concessions under scrutiny alongside the property transactions.
The ACB’s preliminary inquiry is not a final finding of wrongdoing. The agency’s allegations will need to be tested through the investigation and any subsequent proceedings. The next steps will depend on the findings of the inquiry into the resort approvals, financial package, villa transactions and the officer’s declared and known sources of income.
