A property transaction involving senior Rajasthan IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal, his IPS officer wife Prashakha Mathur and their family has come under scrutiny following a report by Dainik Bhaskar. The report details the purchase of 20 cottages at an Ananta resort in Bujhda, Udaipur, in September 2023, followed by a lease arrangement with the company that sold the properties.
The transactions have drawn attention because the family reportedly acquired multiple resort properties over a period of around two and a half years and leased them back to the same company, generating substantial annual rental income.
20 Cottages Registered in September 2023
According to the report, the 20 cottages at the Ananta resort in Bujhda were registered on 29 September 2023 at the Barapal sub-registrar’s office.
IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal and his wife, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, reportedly purchased 10 cottages each. Each cottage was valued at approximately Rs 15 lakh, putting the combined purchase value of the 20 units at around Rs 3 crore.
The properties were purchased from Goyal Fashions Private Limited, the company associated with the Ananta hospitality brand.
Cottages Leased Back to the Same Company
The report states that the family subsequently leased the 20 cottages back to Goyal Fashions. Each cottage was reportedly leased at an annual rent of Rs 4 lakh.
At that rate, the 20 properties would generate a combined annual lease income of Rs 80 lakh.
The sale and lease documents were reportedly registered on the same day. Such a sale-and-leaseback arrangement allows buyers to own the properties while the seller continues to operate them as part of its hospitality business.
Family’s Wider Resort Property Investments
The Udaipur transaction forms part of a broader set of reported property purchases involving the family.
According to reports citing Dainik Bhaskar’s investigation, family members acquired another 20 villas at an Ananta resort in Ajabgarh, Alwar, in March 2026. The properties were reportedly purchased from the same company and leased back at an annual rent of Rs 5 lakh per villa.
Across the two locations, the family reportedly acquired 40 villas and cottages for a total of approximately Rs 6.16 crore. The combined annual lease income from the 40 properties was reported to be Rs 1.80 crore.
Questions Over Property Disclosures
The report also raised questions about the disclosure of the properties in the officers’ Immovable Property Returns (IPRs).
According to the coverage, Shikhar Agarwal declared 14 properties in his return, while the return filed by Prashakha Mathur reportedly showed no property details despite the reported purchases in her name.
Agarwal responded that the family had disclosed the purchases in its returns and that information relating to his wife’s properties had been attached in the wrong place. He also stated that the children had purchased properties independently.
The reported discrepancy does not, by itself, establish a violation of any rule. Assessing whether the declarations complied with applicable requirements would require examination of the relevant filings and official records.
What the Transactions Reveal
The case highlights how resort properties can be purchased by private individuals and leased back to hospitality operators, creating rental income for the owners while allowing the company to continue operating the accommodation.
The central issues raised by the reporting concern the scale of the purchases, the lease arrangements and the accuracy of official property disclosures. Any conclusions about potential irregularities would depend on documentary evidence and the applicable service rules.
