A high-profile corruption investigation has been launched in Rajasthan involving a senior IAS officer, Shikhar Agrawal, and his wife, senior IPS officer Prashakha Mathur. The state government has granted formal approval to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct a thorough inquiry into allegations of professional misconduct and financial impropriety. In the wake of these developments, both officers have been placed under Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) by the state administration as the investigation proceeds.
The central point of the probe revolves around property transactions conducted over a period of two and a half years. According to the ACB, the bureaucrat couple acquired 40 luxury properties—consisting of 20 cottages located in Bujhda, Udaipur, and 20 villas in Ajabgarh, Alwar. These assets were purchased for a combined sum of Rs 6.16 crore directly from Goyal Fashions Private Limited, the firm currently operating the resorts.
Investigators are scrutinizing a suspicious leaseback arrangement that followed the acquisitions. Immediately after the purchase, the entire portfolio of properties was leased back to the same seller. This agreement allegedly guaranteed the couple an annual rental yield of Rs 1.80 crore, broken down into Rs 80 lakh from the Udaipur cottages and Rs 1 crore from the Alwar villas. The ACB is currently examining whether these transactions served as a facade for irregular financial benefits.
The scope of the investigation extends to whether Shikhar Agrawal misused his official position to benefit the resort firm. During his tenures in influential state departments, including the Industries Department and the Pollution Control Board, Agrawal allegedly provided various administrative favours. The bureau is probing claims that the company received expedited clearances, relaxed construction approvals, and special concessional investment packages, some of which appear to have been granted on the exact days that villa sale deeds were finalized.
Preliminary findings by the agency also suggest that many of the 40 villas were registered at prices significantly lower than the prevailing market rates. Furthermore, the investigation is examining potential discrepancies in mandatory annual property disclosures. While the properties were registered in the names of the couple, their two adult sons, and Mathur’s parents, the records filed by the officers allegedly failed to reflect the full scale of these extensive acquisitions.
The inquiry has been formally sanctioned under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Officials involved in the case have indicated that the probe will evaluate multiple facets, including potential money laundering, clear instances of conflict of interest, and the accumulation of assets disproportionate to the known income sources of the civil servants. The legal proceedings represent a significant development in the state's oversight of high-ranking administrative and police personnel.
As the investigation continues, the focus remains on the nexus between the government officials and the private enterprise involved in the resort operations. The state administration's decision to place the couple under APO underscores the gravity with which the allegations are being treated. Future steps in the inquiry will likely involve a deeper forensic audit of the financial records and the specific policy decisions made by Agrawal during his time in the Industries Department and the Pollution Control Board to determine if any systemic corruption occurred.
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