Rajasthan: The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has launched a detailed investigation into allegations that senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal misused his official position to extend undue favours to Goyal Fashions Private Limited, the hospitality company that operates Ananta Hotels and Resorts, in exchange for acquiring 36 resort villas at prices significantly below market value.
ACB Director General Govind Gupta said that the Rajasthan government granted approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 to investigate the allegations against Agrawal, the company's directors and other individuals connected with the matter. The approval followed a preliminary inquiry triggered by a media report published by Dainik Bhaskar on October 27, reports from the Industries Department, and inputs gathered from confidential sources.
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What Is The Matter?
Investigators are probing decisions made by Agrawal across several administrative posts, including his tenures as District Collector of Udaipur, Chairman of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, and Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department.
According to the preliminary findings by the ACB, the officer allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with the company's directors and used his official position to secure benefits for both himself and the private company. These included approvals issued without proper verification of mandatory certificates, relaxations in resort construction conditions, and special concessions that potentially caused substantial losses to the state government, NDTV reported.
36 Villas Across 2 Cities
The preliminary inquiry identified 36 villas across two Ananta-branded resort properties in Bujhda, Udaipur, and Ajabgarh, Alwar, allegedly purchased by Agrawal and members of his family for a combined value of approximately Rs 5.52 crore.
In March 2026, 20 villas at the Bujhda property in Udaipur were reportedly purchased at a price of Rs 15 lakh per villa, totalling Rs 3 crore. Ten of these villas were registered directly in Agrawal's name, while the other 10 were registered in the name of his wife, Prashakha Mathur.
The inquiry identified an additional 16 villas at the Ajabgarh property in Alwar.
- Eight villas were registered in the names of Shikhar Agrawal and Prashakha Mathur (four each) at reported prices of Rs 16.5 lakh per villa.
- Four villas were registered in the names of their two sons at reported prices of around Rs 15 lakh per villa.
- Four villas were registered in the names of Agrawal's parents-in-law at reported prices of approximately Rs 16.5 lakh per villa.
IPS Prashakha Mathur Under Probe
Shikhar Agrawal's wife, Prashakha Mathur, an IPS officer serving as Additional Director General of Police (ADG - Planning, Modernisation, and Welfare), is directly involved in the allegations. The preliminary inquiry identified 14 villas registered directly in her name, including 10 villas at the Bujhda property in Udaipur and four villas at the Ajabgarh property in Alwar, alongside properties registered in the names of her two sons and her parents.
Following the ACB investigation and the removal of Agrawal from his administrative posts, the state government placed Prashakha Mathur on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO), Hindustan Times reported.
Same-Day Concessions Under Probe
Investigators found that on March 27, 2026, the Finance Department issued a special concessional financial package to Goyal Fashions Private Limited. On that exact same date, 20 resort villas were registered in the names of Agrawal and his family members, the report added.
The ACB is actively probing whether decisions taken during Agrawal's tenure helped the private company obtain benefits that would not otherwise have been available to the company, and whether those decisions were directly connected to the subsequent villa purchases.