Rajasthan: Gehlot seeks CBI, ED probe into IAS officer’s family property

• Ashok Gehlot seeks a CBI and ED probe into alleged property transactions involving IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and his family.

• Media reports allege the family bought 40 villas and cottages worth Rs 6.165 crore and leased them back to the seller.

• Rajasthan government places Agrawal on APO, citing administrative reasons, as Congress demands accountability.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday, 30 October demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged large-scale property transactions involving senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and his family, calling it the biggest scandal to have surfaced under the Bhajanlal Sharma government.

Gehlot's remarks came after the Rajasthan government placed Agrawal, a 1993-batch IAS officer, on awaiting posting orders (APO), citing administrative reasons. The move followed media reports alleging that the officer and his family had purchased 40 villas and cottages from a single company over two-and-a-half years.

According to media reports, Agrawal, his IPS officer wife Prashakha Mathur, their two sons and his parents-in-law purchased 20 villas in Ajabgarh, Alwar, and 20 cottages in Bujhda, Udaipur, from Goyal Fashions Private Limited for a combined Rs 6.165 crore.

The properties were subsequently leased back to the same company, with the reported annual rental income amounting to Rs 1.80 crore. The transactions have also raised questions over the disclosure of the properties in the officers' annual immovable property returns and the timing of a customised investment incentive package reportedly granted to the company under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme.

Speaking to reporters at his residence, Gehlot said the allegations were serious and warranted a comprehensive investigation. Questioning the role of the chief minister's office (CMO), the senior Congress leader said Sharma should personally explain the action being taken by his government.

"This is the biggest scandal to have surfaced during Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma's nearly three-year tenure. He should take responsibility," Gehlot demanded.

He said merely placing the officer on APO or ordering an inquiry by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) would not be sufficient.

"The case should be handed over to the CBI and the ED. A thorough investigation will bring out the truth," he said. Gehlot also said Agrawal, who is reportedly abroad, should return immediately and clarify his position before the media.

Agrawal was serving as additional chief secretary of the industries and micro, small and medium enterprises departments. He also held several key positions, including chairperson of the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) and the Bureau of Investment Promotion.

The government order placing him on APO relieved him of his administrative responsibilities but cited only 'administrative reasons'. It did not announce a formal investigation into the reported property transactions.

With PTI inputs