'Upright' IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who cancelled the mutation of Robert Vadra's Gurugram land deal, retires

Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, widely recognised for his integrity throughout a career spanning nearly 34 years and marked by 57 postings, is set to retire on Wednesday. A 1991-batch officer from the Haryana cadre, Khemka will superannuate as Additional Chief Secretary in the Transport Department, a role he assumed in December 2024.

Khemka rose to national prominence in 2012 when he annulled the mutation of a land deal in Gurugram involving Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. (In land records, a mutation refers to the process of updating ownership following a transfer.)

Born in Kolkata on April 30, 1965, Khemka holds a B.Tech 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 a focus on Business Administration and Finance.


While in service, he also completed his LLB from Panjab University.

57 transfers in long bureaucratic career
With 57 transfers during his career, probably the highest among the state's bureaucracy, Khemka last December returned to the transport department, which is currently being handled by Minister Anil Vij. The move came nearly 10 years after he was transferred out as transport commissioner, in the first term of the then-BJP government headed by Manohar Lal Khattar.

At the time of his removal, Khemka had been in the transport department for only four months.

In 2023, Khemka wrote to Khattar and offered to "root out corruption" with a stint in the vigilance department.

He said he had sacrificed his service career in his zeal to end corruption.

After a round of promotions over two years back, Khemka tweeted: "Congratulations to my batchmates newly appointed as Secretaries to GOI! While this is an occasion for merry, it brings equal measure of despondency for one's own self having been left behind."

He added, "Straight trees are always cut first. No regrets. With renewed resolve, I shall persist."

In the past more than 12 years, Khemka has been posted in departments considered "low profile."

Over his entire career, on average, he has been transferred about every six months.