ACB Director General Govind Gupta said the state government had granted prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to proceed against Agrawal. Photo: X
'36 villas worth Rs 5.52 Cr': Rajasthan IAS officer, IPS wife under APO scanner for graft
Rajasthan orders an ACB probe into IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal over alleged favours to Ananta resorts and 36 villa purchases worth Rs 5.52 crore
The Rajasthan government has reportedly authorised an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) probe into allegations that senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal used his official position to favour a private hospitality company and buy resort villas for himself and his family at below-market prices.
Agarwal’s wife, Prashakha Mathur, a senior IPS officer, is also being probed by the APO on orders of the Rajasthan government.
What the probe will cover
According to a PTI report, the state government has placed Agrawal, who was serving as Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department, on Awaiting Posting Orders, citing administrative reasons.
The inquiry will cover Agrawal's alleged dealings with directors of Goyal Fashions Private Limited, which runs hotels and resorts under the Ananta brand, reported NDTV. The allegations concern concessions granted to the company, relaxations in resort construction rules and approvals issued without proper checks of mandatory certificates. Investigators will also look into villa purchases registered in the names of Agrawal and his relatives.
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ACB Director General Govind Gupta reportedly said the state government had granted prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to proceed against Agrawal, the company's directors and others connected with the matter.
The approval followed a preliminary inquiry based on a Dainik Bhaskar report published on October 27.
Allegations of official favours under scanner
According to the ACB's preliminary findings, Agrawal allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with the company's directors. He is accused of using his official position to secure benefits for the company and himself, potentially causing financial losses to the state.
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His conduct during three senior postings will come under scrutiny. These include District Collector of Udaipur, chairman of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board and Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department.
The ACB will look into whether decisions taken during these assignments helped Goyal Fashions obtain concessions and whether they were linked to the subsequent purchase of resort villas.
36 villas under investigation
The property transactions under scrutiny involve two Ananta resorts, one in Bujhda, Udaipur, and the other in Ajabgarh, Alwar.
At the Bujhda property, 20 villas were allegedly bought in March 2026. Ten were reportedly registered in Agrawal's name and another 10 in the name of his wife, Prashakha Mathur, an IPS officer. Each villa reportedly cost around Rs 15 lakh, putting the stated value of the purchases at Rs 3 crore.
The Ajabgarh resort accounts for another 16 villas. Eight were registered in the names of Agrawal and his wife, with four each. Four more were allegedly bought in the names of their two sons, while four others were registered in the names of Agrawal's parents-in-law.
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The reported prices ranged from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 16.5 lakh per villa. The eight properties registered in the couple's names and the four belonging to the parents-in-law were reportedly priced at Rs 16.5 lakh each. The four villas registered in the sons' names cost around Rs 15 lakh apiece.
The ACB has reportedly identified 36 villas across the two resorts. Their reported combined value is around Rs 5.52 crore, based on the prices cited in the preliminary inquiry. The probe has also reportedly found that the Finance Department issued Goyal Fashions a special concessional financial package on March 27 this year.
Information gathered by the ACB shows that 20 villas were registered in the names of Agrawal and his family members on the same date.
Different versions on number of villas
However, an India Today report puts the number of villas at 40. The report stated that the alleged transactions involved two Ananta properties in Rajasthan, with purchases reported at different times. In September 2023, Agrawal's family bought 20 cottages at the Bujhda resort in Udaipur. Another 20 villas were purchased at the Ajabgarh resort in Alwar in March 2026.
The properties were acquired from Goyal Fashions for a combined Rs 6.16 crore. The ACB's preliminary findings suggest that some units may have been sold at prices considerably below their market value.
At Bujhda, Agrawal and Mathur reportedly bought 10 villas each for Rs 15 lakh apiece. The Ajabgarh purchases included eight villas registered in their names at Rs 16.5 lakh each. Their two sons reportedly bought four villas each for around Rs 15 lakh apiece, while four more were registered in the names of Mathur's parents at approximately Rs 16.5 lakh each.