Senior Rajasthan IAS Officer Shikhhar Agrwal Moved to APO Following Property Deal Revelations

The Rajasthan government has put senior IAS officer Shikhhar Agrwal on APO status with immediate effect following reports about property deals made by his family. Agrwal served as an additional chief secretary in the state government with charge of departments like industry, MSME, public undertakings, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and investment. A Department of Personnel order signed by joint secretary Dheeraj Kumar Singh stated the move was taken for administrative reasons.

Property Purchases

Agrwal, his IPS wife Prashakha Mathur, and family members bought 40 villas and cottages over about two and a half years in Udaipur and Alwar. The total cost of these properties is listed at 6 crore 16 lakh 50 thousand rupees. The family bought 20 cottages in September 2023 at Ananta Resort in Bujhra, Udaipur, and 20 villas in March 2026 at Ananta Resort in Ajabgarh, Alwar. Both sets of properties were bought from Goyal Fashions Private Limited. Registrations for the Udaipur cottages took place on September 29, 2023, while the Alwar villas were registered on March 27, 2026.

Lease Agreements

Registrations for these properties were made in the names of Shikhhar Agrwal, his IPS wife Prashakha Mathur who serves as an ADG, and family members including his mother-in-law Manjula and father-in-law Raghuvansh Narayan Mathur. Prashakha Mathur acted via power of attorney for the two sons, with Agrwal and Mathur holding 28 villas and cottages in total. Alongside the purchases, lease agreements were signed with Goyal Fashions Private Limited. Each Udaipur cottage has an annual lease amount of 4 lakh rupees, making 80 lakh rupees a year for all 20 cottages. Each Alwar villa has a yearly lease amount of 5 lakh rupees, totaling 1 crore rupees for those 20 villas. The combined annual lease income reaches 1 crore 80 lakh rupees.

Context

These property purchases have drawn public attention because of questions raised over immovable property return disclosures filed by the officials. APO status means an officer is kept without a specific posting while awaiting fresh orders from the government.