JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigations into alleged irregularities in property transactions involving senior IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal and his family. Speaking to the media in Jaipur on Friday, Gehlot said placing Agarwal on awaiting posting orders (APO) was insufficient.
At a press conference at his Civil Lines residence, Gehlot described the controversy as the biggest scam during the Bhajan Lal Sharma government's tenure. “This is the biggest scam to have surfaced in the last three years,” he said, demanding a probe beyond an FIR or an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation.
Gehlot also questioned the role of the Chief Minister's Office, alleging that the company involved received concessions after meetings chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. He demanded that Sharma explain the decisions and disclose the corrective action taken.
Agarwal, a 1993-batch IAS officer who previously served as additional chief secretary to Sharma, was placed on APO late on Wednesday. He holds the industries portfolio and other charges and also chairs the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO). The government cited administrative reasons for the order.
According to media reports, Agarwal, his wife, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, and their family purchased 20 villas in Ajabgarh, Alwar, and 20 cottages in Bujhra, Udaipur, from Goyal Fashions for around Rs 6.16 crore. The properties were reportedly sold and registered at low prices and then leased back to the company for around Rs 1.80 crore annually, equivalent to nearly 29% of the declared purchase price.
Questions have also been raised over a customised government incentive package reportedly granted to the company's project under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme. Media reports said the concession order coincided with the registration of the Alwar properties in March 2026.
Meanwhile, advocates Poonam Chand Bhandari and T N Sharma, representing the Jaipur-based group Public Against Corruption, have approached the CBI seeking registration of an FIR and an investigation into alleged disproportionate assets, undervaluation of properties and benefits extended to the company.
Their complaint also seeks scrutiny of businesses run by Agarwal's family members and alleged benefits relating to forest land.
BJP MLA Balmukundacharya said, “Agencies are investigating the matter. This is a government of zero tolerance, and if anyone is found guilty, strict action will be taken against them.”
Agarwal and his wife are currently travelling in the US. He has reportedly maintained that the transactions were disclosed in their tax returns and property statements, attributing the missing information to a technical error. BJP leader and senior advocate Indra Mohan Singh has separately approached the ACB seeking action over the transactions.