JAIPUR: In a major administrative crackdown, the Rajasthan government late Wednesday night stripped senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal of all his key positions and placed him under “Awaiting Posting Orders” (APO) following a high-profile property controversy. The Department of Personnel issued formal orders removing Agrawal from his roles as Additional Chief Secretary (Industries and MSME), Chairman of RIICO, Chairman of the Bureau of Investment Promotion (BIP) and head of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor authority.
The decisive action stems from investigative revelations exposing the massive acquisition of 40 luxury resort units including 20 cottages in Udaipur’s Bujhda and 20 villas in Alwar’s Ajabgarh by Agrawal, his wife ADG IPS Prashakha Mathur, their two sons and his in-laws. Purchased over a two and a half year period from a single firm, Goyal Fashions Private Limited, for a combined total of ₹6.16 crore, the properties were immediately leased back to the seller for an annual return of ₹1.80 crore.
Public outrage intensified after records revealed that on the exact same day in March 2026 when the Alwar villas were registered, the Finance Department issued orders granting the vendor firm a customized relief package under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS), complete with tax exemptions and wage subsidies. Discrepancies in Agrawal’s official Immovable Property Returns (IPR) where several of the Alwar acquisitions were noticeably omitted have further fueled corruption allegations. While Agrawal defended the omissions as a technical portal filing error, opposition leaders and public interest groups have demanded a thorough independent investigation into the deal’s financing and policy permissions.
