IAS Officer Ashok Khemka, Known for Integrity and 57 Transfers, Retires
A Career Marked by Integrity and Transfers
Ashok Khemka, a senior IAS officer renowned for his integrity and a career defined by an unusually high number of transfers, is retiring today after nearly 34 years of service.
Khemka, who belonged to the 1991 batch, concluded his career as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Transport Department in Haryana, a position he took on in December 2024.
A Controversial Cancellation that Brought Him National Attention
He gained national recognition in 2012 when he canceled the mutation of a land deal in Gurugram linked to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Mutation is a vital step in transferring land ownership.
57 Transfers: An Uncommon Path
Khemka’s career is notable for its sheer number of transfers – 57 in total, averaging about one every six months. This is likely the most transfers any bureaucrat in Haryana has experienced.
A Return to Transport and a Desire to Fight Corruption
He returned to the Transport Department last December, working under Minister Anil Vij. This marked a return to the department nearly a decade after his initial transfer from the role of Transport Commissioner during the first term of the BJP government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. He had only served in the department for four months during his first stint.
Over the past 12 years, Khemka has primarily been assigned to departments considered less prominent. He’s been posted to the Archives Department four times – once under the Congress government in 2013 and three times during the BJP regime. He served as both Director General and Principal Secretary in this department.
In 2023, Khemka wrote to Khattar expressing his desire to lead the state vigilance department. He wanted to use his experience to “root out corruption.” In his letter dated January 23, 2023, he criticized the uneven distribution of work within the bureaucracy, stating that some officers were overburdened while others, including himself, had little to do in departments like Archives.
“Lopsided distribution of work does not serve public interest. Towards the end of my service career, I offer my services to head the vigilance department to root out corruption,” he wrote. “If given an opportunity, I assure you there would be a real war against corruption and no one however high and mighty will be spared,” the IAS officer added.
A Life of Learning and Service
Born in Kolkata in 1965, Khemka holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Kharagpur (1988), a PhD in Computer Science from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and an MBA with specializations in Business Administration and Finance. He also earned an LLB from Panjab University while serving as an IAS officer.
