Rajasthan government approves the transfer of the probe into senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and his relatives' alleged purchase of around 40 cottage‑villas from a private firm to the ACB, on the orders of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma

ACB Director General Govind Gupta said a preliminary inquiry has been registered based on the Industry Department report and confidential sources, indicating possible misuse of office and concessions to a private company

Scope and permissions of the investigation

The state government has authorised the ACB to conduct a detailed inquiry under Section 17‑A of the Rajasthan Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018. The agency will examine the actual transaction amounts, market values of the properties and any irregularities

Two days after the case surfaced, Shikhar Agrawal was removed from the post of Additional Principal Secretary and placed on APO, freeing him from responsibilities such as the Industry and MSME Department, DMIC, RECO and the Investment Promotion Bureau

Details of the villa purchases

  • In March 2026, ten villas each priced at about ₹15 lakh were bought in the Bujhda resort, Udaipur, in the names of Shikhar Agrawal and his wife
  • In Alwar’s Ajabgarh, eight villas (₹16.5 lakh) were bought in the name of Shikhar Agrawal‑Prashakha, four villas (₹15 lakh) in the names of his two sons and four villas (₹16.5 lakh) for his parents‑in‑law
  • All the declared prices were found to be considerably below market value

The probe will also check whether the company received construction‑area concessions, approvals without certificate verification and special economic concession packages that could cause potential financial loss to the state

Political reaction

Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot demanded an ED‑CBI investigation, saying that an APO alone does not clear responsibility, and also raised questions about the Chief Minister’s relative Pramod Sharma