New Delhi: Rajasthan’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has written to multiple government departments seeking official records, including details of financial transactions and decisions taken by senior IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal and his wife, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, as part of its probe against the couple, ThePrint has learnt.
The move comes after the Rajasthan government approved an ACB investigation into allegations that Agarwal and others misused their official positions to extend undue benefits to a private company.
ACB sources told ThePrint that letters were sent on Monday to the Industries and Public Works departments, as well as the Collectorates in Udaipur and Alwar, where the couple allegedly purchased around 40 villas from a private company.
“We have initiated a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) based on details of transactions that have emerged in media reports and through our own sources. We are now collecting documentary evidence before deciding on the further course of action,” an ACB official told ThePrint.
“Prima facie, it is clear that the officers under inquiry purchased the properties flagged in media reports. We are seeking to establish the legality of these transactions and ascertain the source of funds,” the official added.
A 1993-batch IAS officer, Agarwal was serving as Additional Chief Secretary of several key departments in the BJP government led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. His wife, a 1995-batch IPS officer, was serving as Additional Director General of the state police’s modernisation and welfare department.
The couple came under scrutiny after a Dainik Bhaskar report last week alleged that they had acquired as many as 40 villas from a company named Goyal Fashions in Udaipur and Alwar. The properties were reportedly purchased in the names of the couple, their children and their parents.
Taking cognisance of the media reports, the Rajasthan government approved an investigation against Agarwal and Mathur under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Days after the report, both officers were removed from their respective postings and attached to their administrative departments pending further orders.
According to the report, the purchases took place in two tranches—September 2023 and March this year—at a combined cost of Rs 6.15 crore. The couple had also allegedly leased the same resorts to the company for annual rents of Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
In his Immovable Property Return (IPR) filed with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Agarwal disclosed the purchase of 10 villas in his name for Rs 10 lakh. The sale deed was signed on 29 September 2023. On the other hand, the Mathurs’ IPR returns have no such disclosures.
ThePrint has reached out to both Agarwal and Mathur regarding the ongoing ACB enquiry, and the report will be updated if and when they respond.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)