Who is Ashok Khemka, the IAS officer who took on Robert Vadra, faced 57 transfers, and retires after 34 years

Ashok Khemka, the IAS officer known for cancelling the Vadra land deal and facing 57 transfers, retires after 34 years of service marked by unwavering commitment to fighting corruption and repeated political sidelining. 

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Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, long regarded as one of India’s most upright bureaucrats, retires today after a career that was as turbulent as it was principled. With 34 years in service and a staggering 57 transfers, Khemka’s name has come to symbolize both resistance to corruption and the personal cost of integrity in public life.

Born in Kolkata on April 30, 1965, Khemka holds an extraordinary academic record. He completed his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Kharagpur, earned a PhD from TIFR, an MBA in Finance, and an LLB from Panjab University—qualifications rarely seen even among elite civil servants.

But it wasn’t his degrees that made headlines. In 2012, Khemka rose to national prominence when, as a senior Haryana-cadre IAS officer, he cancelled the mutation of a land deal in Gurugram linked to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law, Robert Vadra. The decision, which questioned the legality of a high-profile transaction, triggered backlash and sparked a chain of transfers that defined his career.

From agriculture to archives, from sports to transport, Khemka's postings were as unpredictable as they were short-lived—averaging just six months each. He was posted to the Archives Department alone four times, including three terms under the current BJP-led government. His last role was as Additional Chief Secretary in the Transport Department of Haryana, a position he assumed in December 2024.

Despite repeated sidelining, Khemka never softened his anti-corruption stand. In January 2023, he wrote to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar offering to head the Vigilance Department. “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,” he said.

That offer was never taken up.

Khemka also publicly expressed frustration over being passed over for key positions. When several of his 1991-batch colleagues were appointed Secretaries to the Government of India, he congratulated them on social media but also noted his own stagnation. “Straight trees are always cut first. No regrets,” he wrote, signaling a continued commitment to values over career rewards.

In quieter moments, Khemka reflected on the structural issues plaguing governance. He repeatedly highlighted the uneven distribution of work among officers, with some overburdened and others left idle. In one post, he described being given portfolios with little meaningful work, saying it served neither public interest nor administrative efficiency.

As he steps down from service today, Ashok Khemka leaves behind a legacy that’s as complex as it is courageous. He didn’t rise to the top of the bureaucracy. But he stood tall—straight and uncompromising—in a system that often punishes those who do.