Rajasthan IAS Officer Shikhar Agarwal Sent to APO Over Villa Deals

In a significant administrative action, the Rajasthan government has moved senior IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal to the APO, or Awaiting Posting Order, list. The move follows allegations concerning the purchase of 40 villa-cottages from a single company over the past two and a half years.

An order from the state Department of Personnel, issued late on Wednesday night, said the step was taken for administrative reasons. Being placed on APO means an officer has been relieved of his present post but has not yet been given any new place of posting or responsibility.

The case involves 40 villa-cottages leased from a private firm across two locations. Of these, 20 villas are in Ajabgarh in Alwar district, and 20 cottages are in Bujra in Udaipur district.

Reports state that around Rs 6.16 crore was spent in acquiring these properties. Following the purchase, the properties were leased back to the same company. The lease rates are Rs 4 lakh per year for each cottage in Bujra and Rs 5 lakh per year for each villa in Ajabgarh, bringing the total annual lease payment to nearly Rs 2 crore.

Shikhar Agarwal has handled several important responsibilities in Rajasthan's administration, including the post of Additional Chief Secretary in the MSME department. He has also held key roles related to industrial development and investment promotion.

Pankaj Chaudhary, an IPS officer, has also levelled more allegations against Agarwal. According to him, a private group is building a large resort near Karjat, Mumbai, in which Agarwal has a 50 per cent stake. Chaudhary described it as a project with roughly 400 rooms and billions of rupees in investment.

He further alleged that some companies secured major deals while Agarwal was working in positions connected to the Chief Minister's Office and the Industries Department. He has demanded a probe into these transactions and the circumstances in which they were finalised.

Chaudhary also pointed to earlier remarks by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal about Agarwal's personal life and called for a close examination of the charges. Citing Beniwal, he said a CBI inquiry could reveal financial transactions exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.