The BJP Government in Haryana has ordered a chargesheet against whistleblower IAS Ashok Khemka for allegedly causing avoidable financial loss to Haryana Seed Development Corporation (HSDC) in 2012-13 on account of unsold stocks of wheat seeds.
The chargesheet dated July 1, was served on him on July 8.
Interestingly, the move comes eight months after the State Government had dropped a chargesheet against the 1991-batch IAS officer where he was charged by the previous Congress Government with exceeding his jurisdiction as he had cancelled the mutation of a land deal between a firm owned by Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and realty major DlF.
Khemka is currently the Principal Secretary to Haryana Government, Science and Technology Department.
As per the chargesheet , Khemka, as Managing Director, HSDC (October 15, 2012 to April 4, 2013) did not take much interest in liquidating the stock of certified wheat seed, resulting in about 87,000 quintals of certified wheat seed valuing Rs22.21 crore remaining unsold.
An earlier CAG report had pointed out that the seed stock remained unsold mainly due to over-production in 2011-12. The CAG’s performance audit report of HSDC for the year ending March 31, 2014 had pointed out that it had led to increased availability of wheat seeds for sale in Rabi 2012.
Meanwhile, Haryana Government has ordered to chargesheet Khemka for a minor penalty under Rule 10 of All India Services (Appeals and Discipline) Rules. It includes censure, withholding of promotion, recovery from the pay of the whole or part of pecuniary loss caused to the Government, withholding of increments of pay, reduction to a lower stage in the time scale of pay for a period not exceeding three years, without cumulative effect and not adversely affecting his pension.
In response to the memorandum containing the charges, Khemka, in a letter to Haryana Chief Secretary, has written that “chargesheet to a senior Government officer without hearing is abnormal”.
Khemka said, “Even the earlier chargesheet in the Vadra-DlF land deal was issued after the facade of providing an opportunity. In the present case, however, the said facade was also done away with.”
As per the procedure for intimation of disciplinary proceedings against officers of All India Services under Government of India, any proposal to initiate disciplinary proceedings should be forwarded only after a decision has been taken at the level of Minister-in-charge of the Department/Ministry after obtaining the preliminary explanation of the officer and considering the same.
“The allegations in the chargesheet are nothing but a continuation of the witch-hunt and hounding by the same inimical elements which were complicit with the earlier political executive in various scams involving land licensing, land releases, land consolidation where not a single action has been initiated against any officer,” the IAS officer has written.
The intention behind the present disciplinary proceeding is to coerce and prevent me from deposing the truth in criminal cases and before Inquiry Commissions, he alleged.
He further said, “The (latest) chargesheet is without any supporting annexure. To enable me to submit an appropriate reply to the false and baseless allegations contained in the chargesheet, I request you to allow me to inspect all relevant official records in the office of the Chief Secretary, Haryana, leading to the chargesheet.”