Jaipur, Oct 30 (IANS) The Rajasthan government has granted prior approval to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct a detailed investigation into allegations that senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal abused his official position and entered into a criminal conspiracy with the directors of a private company to extend undue benefits to the firm, allegedly causing substantial financial losses to the state government.
The approval has been granted under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, according to a press note issued by the ACB’s Public Relations Cell.
The investigation will also examine the acquisition of properties in resorts by Agrawal and his family members. ACB Director General Govind Gupta said the Bureau had conducted a detailed examination along with a factual report received from the Department of Industries.
Information gathered from confidential sources and preliminary findings also indicated the need for a formal investigation.
According to the ACB’s preliminary findings, Agrawal allegedly misused his official position while serving in several key capacities in Rajasthan, including District Collector of Udaipur, Chairman of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board and Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department and other departments.
The allegations concern his purported links with the directors of Goyal Fashions Private Limited, which operates hotels and resorts under the brand name ‘Ananta’. The ACB has alleged that the company received undue benefits, including relaxations in terms and conditions for resort construction, approvals without verification of mandatory certificates and special concessional financial packages.
The preliminary inquiry has also raised questions over the purchase of villas at Ananta resorts in Bujhda (Udaipur) and Ajabgarh (Alwar district) in the names of Agrawal and his family members.
According to the ACB, 10 villas were purchased in the names of Agrawal and his wife at the Bujhda resort for Rs 15 lakh per villa. At the Ananta Resort in Ajabgarh, eight villas were allegedly purchased in the names of Agrawal and his wife for Rs 16.5 lakh each.
Four additional villas were purchased in the names of his two sons for approximately Rs 15 lakh each, while another four were acquired in the names of his parents-in-law for around Rs 16.5 lakh each. The ACB suspects that these properties were acquired at prices substantially below their market value.
The Bureau has also highlighted the timing of the transactions. According to information received from confidential sources, the registration of 20 villas in Agrawal’s name took place on March 27, 2026.
The same day, the Finance Department reportedly issued a special concessional financial package to Goyal Fashions Private Limited. The ACB said the circumstances warranted a detailed examination of the transactions, the alleged benefits extended to the company, and the possible financial loss to the state government.
The government has now granted prior approval for a detailed investigation under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The probe will examine the roles of Shikhar Agrawal, IAS, then Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department, the directors of Goyal Fashions Private Limited and other individuals concerned. It will also investigate allegations relating to assets allegedly disproportionate to the officer’s known sources of income. The allegations are subject to investigation, and no finding of guilt has been established at this stage.
–IANS
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