New Delhi, Jul 24 (IANS): Rajasthan's top cop, Anil Paliwal, who is a trusted officer in Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's administration, is seen to be having business interests with Gehlot's associates, documents reviewed by IANS showed.
As the political crisis in Rajasthan intensifies, there are allegations that Gehlot is using a politicised and corrupt bureaucracy to target the Opposition in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan's Special Operations Group (SOG) is seen to have been very active in targeting political rivals. The SOG had served a notice to Congress rebel Sachin Pilot and at that time, Paliwal was the ADG in-charge of the SOG.
Paliwal is also the same officer who had filed an FIR against the Sanjivani Co-operative Society to implicate Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat.
Details are emerging that Paliwal and his family have multiple business partnerships with Gehlot and his associates.
Documents reviewed by IANS showed that Paliwal's wife Sarika Anil Paliwal is a promoter along with Ratankant Sharma and others in Triton Hotels and Resorts which owns the Fairmont Hotel. As per insiders, Ratankant Sharma is known to be the business partner of Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Paliwal's wife is also a promoter in Golden Peace Resorts and Mayank Sharma Enterprises.
The intricate web of business interests woven by the Gehlot family is such that the shareholders of Mayank Sharma Enterprises are also the shareholders of Triton Hotels and Resorts.
Interestingly, the address of Sarika Paliwal, Ratankant Sharma and other promoters of Triton Hotels and Resorts is exactly the same: 103 Shantivan 2A, Raheja Township, Malad (E), as per the ROC documents reviewed by IANS.
Sarika Paliwal was one of the promoter shareholders along with Mayank Sharma and PN Kamlesh of Triton Hotels and Resorts, which was incorporated on March 14, 2007 in Mumbai.
Sarika Paliwal held 3,500 out of the 7,500 shares of Triton. Later on she transferred 3,500 shares to Ratan Kant Sharma and his wife Juhi Sharma, who are now the 50 per cent shareholders of Triton Hotels.
Sarika Paliwal was also the director and shareholder of Golden Peace Resorts and Hotels and Mayank Sharma Eneterprises and is a close business associate of Ratan Kant Sharma, said to be the partner of Vaibhav Gehlot.
Sarika Paliwal is currently holding 11 per cent shares of Mayank Sharma Enterprises which owns and maintains a five-star hotel in Jaipur namely Hotel Le Meridien in Kukas.
The shareholders of Triton Resorts are also the shareholders of Mayank Sharma Enterprises, thereby establishing common business interests.