In a significant administrative development, the Rajasthan government has placed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shikhar Agrawal, who was serving as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) for Industries, under 'Awaiting Posting Orders' (APO) amid a brewing controversy surrounding alleged large-scale property acquisitions linked to him and his family.

The order, issued late Wednesday night by the states Department of Personnel (DoP), stated that the 1993-batch IAS officer has been put on APO till further orders, citing "administrative reasons."