Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has placed senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) following questions over the purchase and subsequent leasing of 40 villas and cottages worth around ₹6.16 crore.
The state Personnel Department issued the order late Wednesday night, citing administrative reasons. The move comes amid scrutiny of property transactions involving a private company over a period of around two-and-a-half years.
The properties include 20 villas in Ajabgarh in Alwar district and 20 cottages in Bujra in Udaipur district. According to the details reported, the properties were purchased and later leased to the same company.
The annual lease amount was reportedly fixed at ₹5 lakh per villa in Ajabgarh and ₹4 lakh per cottage in Bujra. Together, the properties generate annual lease payments of around ₹2 crore.
Agrawal has held several senior positions in the Rajasthan administration, including Additional Chief Secretary in the Industries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department. He has also been associated with industrial development and investment promotion in the state.
IPS Officer Raises Additional Allegations
Meanwhile, IPS officer Pankaj Chaudhary has made further allegations against Agrawal and called for an investigation into certain business dealings.
Chaudhary alleged that a private group is developing a major resort project in Karjat near Mumbai in which Agrawal holds a 50 per cent stake. He described the project as a development with around 400 rooms and claimed that it involves investments worth billions of rupees.
He also alleged that some companies secured major deals during Agrawal’s tenure in positions linked to the Rajasthan Chief Minister’s Office and the Industries Department. Chaudhary called for an inquiry into the transactions and the circumstances in which the deals were finalised.
Demand for Probe Into Financial Dealings
Chaudhary also referred to earlier political remarks by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal concerning Agrawal’s personal life. He argued that the allegations deserved closer scrutiny and claimed that a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe could uncover financial dealings worth more than ₹1,000 crore.
The allegations against Agrawal have not been established in the information provided. No response from Agrawal or details of any formal investigation into the claims were included in the source report.