Rajasthan government places senior IAS officer on APO amid property allegations
Senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and his wife have been placed under Awaiting Posting Orders following allegations of undisclosed property accumulation.
The Rajasthan government has placed senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and his wife, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, under Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) on October 28, according to India Today. The move follows allegations regarding the accumulation of immovable property, including claims that their annual property statement partially reported the purchase of 40 villas at Ananta resorts in Ajabgarh and Udaipur.
The properties were allegedly purchased at undervalued rates between Rs 14 lakh and Rs 16.5 lakh per unit, with the Agrawal family reportedly investing Rs 6.15 crore. The family allegedly leased the properties back to the resort company for an annual return of Rs 1.8 crore. A preliminary inquiry has been registered with the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Speaking from the United States, Agrawal said all properties in his name were duly reported in his immovable property report. He stated that payments for properties bought by his sons and in-laws were made from their own accounts. He also clarified that incentive packages were issued to many other hotels and there is no relation between the properties and the grant of the incentive package.
Sanjay Goyal, managing director of Goyal Fashions Pvt Ltd, said the concessions were granted before the latest sale deed and that properties were sold at market value. Agrawal, who was additional chief secretary for industries and chairperson of the Rajasthan Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Limited (RIICO), had his removal ordered by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Chief Minister Sharma told India Today, “I shall not spare anyone indulging in wrongdoing.”