Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who had kicked up a political storm alleging irregularities in land deals involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and DlF, was on Thursday again transferred by the Haryana Government for the second time in nearly six months.
He was transferred from his present post as Managing Director, Haryana Seeds Development Corporation to the insignificant post of Secretary in Haryana Archives.
Few days back, Khemka as MD Haryana Seeds Development Corporation, had recommended a criminal case against a German manufacturing company for making false claims to sell fungicide amounting Rs60 crore to seed producers of Haryana.
During his 21-year-long career, 47-year-old Khemka has been transferred 43 times and Thursday's transfer was the 44th, an average posting of less than six months in every post.
Termed the transfer as "injustice", Khemka told The Pioneer that this had disappointed him and everybody now knew why this transfer has been done and in what circumstances.
When the whistelblower IAS officer came to know about the latest transfer in the afternoon at his office in Panchkula, he broke into tears.
However, State chief secretary PK Chaudhery insisted that transfer is the "prerogative of the Government" and Khemka was transferred for “administrative reasons”.
Khemka gave the charge to his successor BS Duggal Addl Director of Agriculture (Extension) in very dramatic way. When Duggal reached the office in Panchkula to take charge, Khemka refused saying he didn’t have any official communication on this.
But soon, a formal communication was issued for his transfer through fax and Khemka relinquished his charge.
He was shifted from the post of Director General Consolidation of land Holdings and land Records-cum-Inspector General of Registration to the Seed Development Corporation in October last year shortly after he initiated a probe into the land dealings between Robert Vadra and realty giant DlF.
After cancelling the mutation of the land deal, Khemka had alleged that he had received a number of threat calls.
Four Haryana deputy commissioners conducted inquiry into the deals after Khemka’s order and gave a clean chit to Vadra saying that there was no “undervaluation” or loss of revenue to the Government.
Who is Ashok KhemkaIJ
Ashok Khemka is a PhD in computer science, MBA in finance and MA in economics. He was transferred nine times in five years during Government led by Om Parkash Chautala, and completed 15 months in labour & Employment & Training Department as Director, which is his longest stay during 21 years of service. During Chautala led INlD Government, he refused to toe the political line and was humiliated when his official vehicle was withdrawn and was forced him to come to office on foot.
In 2005, when Congress led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda assumed power, it appointed Khemka as Deputy Commissioner, Kaithal under the impression that he was against Chautala but soon he proved that he is made of different stuff and was removed from Kaithal. Since the, he was forced to roll like football 16 times in span of 7 years under present Congress government. An IIT engineer, Khemka has also brought out nine publications in the field ranging from WTO to food procurement. He was also awarded by Manjunath Shanmugam Trust Commendation in 2009 for his public service.