Firm Selling 40 Villas to ACS Shikhar Agarwal Handed Rs 115 Crore State Relief Package

In an escalating administrative and political controversy rocking Rajasthan's bureaucratic corridors, stunning revelations have surfaced surrounding senior IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Shikhar Agarwal over alleged conflict of interest and misuse of official machinery. The senior bureaucrat has come under heavy fire after investigative findings revealed that a private enterprise—from which Agarwal acquired dozens of luxury resort villas and immediately leased them back to the original developer—was awarded a massive state government incentive package totaling ₹115 crore under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme-2019 (RIPS) on the very day the property transaction was formally executed.Same-Day Clearance: Property Registration Coincides with Massive ₹115 Crore Fiscal IncentivesThe controversial transaction centers around the acquisition of 40 luxury villas and cottages situated at the Ananta Resort property developed by Goyal Fashions Company in Alwar district, transacted while Agarwal was overseeing the state’s Industries and Investment portfolio. Official records disclose that the property deeds were formally registered on March 27, 2026. Simultaneously, on that identical calendar date, the state government's Finance Department finalized a lucrative ₹115 crore customized relief package for Goyal Fashions under RIPS provisions, granting a sweeping 75 percent subsidy on state taxes along with a complete 100 percent waiver on industrial electricity duties spanning a decade. The lucrative package had been formally cleared during a high-profile Board of Investment session presided over by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to sanction incentives for ten ultra-mega industrial projects.Political Heat Intensifies: Congress Demands CBI, ED Probe into Chief Minister’s RoleThe revelations have triggered severe political fallout across the desert state, with the opposition Congress party mounting an aggressive offensive demanding simultaneous probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Targeting the state leadership, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asserted that merely shunting the bureaucrat to Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) status falls far short of adequate accountability. Gehlot emphasized that because the incentive clearance was formally approved in a high-level apex meeting directly chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the chief ministerial office cannot evade institutional responsibility, demanding an exhaustive forensic audit into every policy decision and corporate concession granted during Agarwal's departmental tenure.Anti-Corruption Bureau Registers FIR as Top Leadership Reasserts Zero-Tolerance StanceMounting administrative pressure culminated on Friday evening when the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) formally registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Shikhar Agarwal, citing active abuse of official authority and facilitating illegitimate fiscal windfalls for a commercial entity. The decisive legal intervention followed a closed-door morning consultation between ACB Director General Govind Gupta and state Chief Secretary V. Srinivas in Jaipur. Reaffirming the administration's posture following the high-stakes briefing, the Chief Secretary declared that the state government remains steadfast in maintaining an uncompromising zero-tolerance policy against administrative irregularities and official corruption at all institutional tiers.