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Ashok Khemka is an Indian civil service bureaucrat and an officer of the IAS since 1991. As of January 2023, he has been transferred 55 times during his career,[2] making him the second-most transferred bureaucrat in Haryana, only surpassed by retired IAS officer Pradeep Kasni.[3] Khemka is known for addressing alleged irregularities in various departments he served, including investigations into land deals during the tenure of former Haryana Chief MinisterBhupinder Hooda.[4] He has been associated with inquiries into cases such as the DLF land grab case, the Sonipat-Kharkhoda IMT land case, and the Garhi Sampla Uddar Gagan land case.
Khemka belongs to the 1991 batch IAS of the Haryana Cadre.[6] He has been repeatedly transferred by various state governments in Haryana after he exposed corruption in the departments he was posted to.[7][8]
Khemka was posted as Secretary to the Govt. of Haryana, Department of Archives and Archaeology on 4 April 2013.[9] He was also given the charge of DG Archives and Archaeology on 26 April 2013.[1] This was his 45th posting in his 20-year career, excluding his 2-year training period.[1] The previous month, he had exposed a deal that he considered irregular and requested an inquiry by the CBI. The government of Haryana refused to investigate[clarification needed] and a Bhiwani-based NGO filed PIL on the matter.[citation needed] On 18 October 2013, CBI registered a preliminary enquiry into alleged irregularities in the purchase of wheat seeds in Haryana Seeds Development Corporation, seeking registration of a case against officials of the National Cooperative Consumers Federation and the National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation for selling seeds at inflated prices to Haryana Seeds Development Corporation.[10][11]
In October 2013, two chargesheets[12][13] were filed against Khemka, one of which accused him of failing his responsibilities at the Haryana Seed Development Corporation.[14][15]
Transfers under Khattar regime
The transfers continued under the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government, after the Bharatiya Janata Party and the came to power in 2014. Khemka was made the transport commissioner in November 2014, but truck owners went on strike after he launched a drive against overloading and oversized goods vehicles. He was transferred to the Archaeology and Museums Department in April 2015.[16]
In October 2017, Khemka, as the principal secretary of the Department of Social Justice and Women Empowerment, reportedly had a disagreement with his boss, Minister Krishna Bedi, over the latter allegedly misusing a department vehicle for over a year. He also reportedly objected to special treatment given to Khattar's personal staff on the eve of Diwali. In November, he was transferred as the principal secretary in the youth affairs and sports department.[17] In March 2019, he was transferred, for the 52nd time, to the Science and Technology Department.[18]
Posting detail
As of March 2019, Khemka had been posted in 51 departments and was DG of Archives & Archaeology in Haryana state.[19]
Breach of trust allegations
In May 2022, former Haryana IAS officer Roshan Lal, former chairman of a committee for selecting candidates in the Haryana State Warehousing Corporation (HSWC) during Ashok Khemka's tenure as managing director, accused Khemka of appointing ineligible candidates as managers (Grade-I) based on dubious considerations, causing a breach of trust. When asked, Khemka declined to comment on the issue.[20]
Highlighted land deal corruption
Khemka highlighted alleged land deal corruption in Gurgaon and around for conversion of commercial land, reportedly between ₹20,000 crore (US$2billion) to ₹350,000 crore (US$40billion).[21] Khemka was most recently Haryana's Director-General of Land Consolidation and Land Records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration. During his 80-day stint in the department, Khemka detected irregularities in land transactions involving transfer of panchayat land worth several hundred crores of rupees to newly created real estate companies.[22] Khemka was transferred on 11 October 2012 and took action on the matter after his transfer. He claims he has been harassed and transferred 40 times in the last 21 years for doing his job.[23] As the Managing Director of Haryana Seeds Development Corporation Limited, Khemka exposed its irregularities in just five months as its head, following which he was transferred on 4 April 2013 and was replaced by B. S. Duggal, a Deputy Secretary five ranks below him.[9]
Vadra land deal
The State Government constituted an Inquiry Committee of three senior IAS officers to investigate Khemka's cancellation of Vadra's land deal in the village Sikhohpur (Gurgaon). Khemka responded to the report of the Inquiry Committee in his comments to the State Government, which is divided into 8 Chapters. [citation needed] The specific land deal of Robert Vadra is detailed in the 6th Chapter.[24]
Rao Inderjit Singh, a member of the Lok Sabha from Gurgaon, has said that a detailed inquiry must be conducted to "substantiate or refute" the charges against Robert Vadra, whose business deals with real estate major DLF have been questioned by Ashok Khemka. He said that Mr Vadra's land dealings should be part of a larger investigation into alleged irregular practices in the government's appropriation and sale of nearly 1200 acres.[25]
Death threat
Following his expression of apprehensions regarding the appropriation of land by Robert Vadra, (Priyanka Gandhi's spouse), Khemka claimed that he had been subjected to threats on his life. A concern was raised regarding land transactions involving Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.[26]
In November 2023, the Haryana Government designated TVSN Prasad, the Financial Commissioner of Revenue, to address a series of grievances lodged by Ashok Khemka concerning the conduct of another official, Sajeev Verma.[27]
In March 2024, the Supreme Court annulled the High Court's decision regarding the elevated ACR grade awarded to Officer Ashok Khemka.[28]
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