Rajasthan investigation probes villa purchases by senior civil servants
The Department of Personnel has issued show-cause notices to two officers regarding alleged property declaration discrepancies.
The Department of Personnel has issued show-cause notices to IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and IPS officer Prashakha Mathur regarding alleged discrepancies in their property declarations, according to a report by Urban Acres. The notices seek responses within seven days regarding claims that the couple and their close family members bought 40 resort villas from one company at prices reportedly below market rates.
The investigation involves the reporting of immovable property. The Department of Personnel stated that the officers had not updated their online immovable-property statements since 2021, despite submitting communications to the state government regarding transactions completed after that date under the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1986.
The inquiry also involves Goyal Fashions Pvt Ltd, which operates the Ananta chain of hotels and resorts. Following intervention from Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the Commissionerate of Industries and Commerce has suspended investment incentives and concessions for the company until the Anti-Corruption Bureau concludes its inquiry.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau began a preliminary inquiry against Agrawal, a 1993-batch IAS officer, on October 30. Agrawal was placed on Awaiting Posting Orders on October 28, while similar action involving Mathur, a 1995-batch IPS officer, was initiated on October 31.
Investigators are examining transactions at the Bujhda resort in Udaipur and the Ajabgarh resort in Alwar. The bureau has also requested minutes of meetings from Agrawal’s tenure as additional chief secretary of the industries department to determine if any official actions benefited Goyal Fashions.
The bureau is seeking records from banks, private entities, and government departments. It has also issued a notice to Sanjay Goyal, the managing director of Goyal Fashions, as part of the probe into construction approvals and property registration documents.