Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has put senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) following charges highlighting the purchase of 40 villa-cottages from a single company over a period of two-and-a-half years.  

The state government's Personnel Department issued the order late Wednesday night, placing Agrawal on APO, citing administrative reasons.

The matter concerns the leasing of 40 villa-cottages in two locations from a private company. The properties included 20 villas in Ajabgarh, Alwar district, and 20 cottages in Bujra, Udaipur district.

The purchases reportedly involved an expenditure of approximately Rs 6.16 crore. The properties were subsequently leased to the same company. According to officials, the annual lease amounts were calculated at Rs 4 lakh per cottage in Bujra and Rs 5 lakh per villa in Ajabgarh, generating a total annual lease payment of around Rs 2 crore.

Shikhar Agrawal, a senior IAS officer, had been holding important responsibilities in the state administration, including the post of Additional Chief Secretary in the Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department.

He had also served in key positions related to industrial development and investment promotion in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, IPS officer Pankaj Chaudhary has levelled further allegations against Shikhar Agrawal.

Claiming that a major resort project is being developed by a private group at Karjat near Mumbai, Chaudhary alleged that Agrawal holds a 50 per cent stake in the project. He described it as a large-scale development comprising around 400 rooms and involving investments worth billions of rupees.

Chaudhary also alleged that certain companies had secured major deals during Agrawal's tenure in positions associated with the Rajasthan Chief Minister's Office and the Industries Department.

He called for an investigation into the transactions and the circumstances under which the deals were finalised.

Referring to earlier political remarks by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal concerning Agrawal's personal life, Chaudhary argued that the allegations warranted closer scrutiny. He quoted Beniwal and claimed that a CBI investigation could reveal financial dealings exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.