IAS Ashok Khemka claims victimisation by Haryana govt

CHANDIGARH: Ashok Khemka, the Haryana IAS officer who cancelled a controversial land deal involving UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and real estate group DLF last year, has accused the Haryana government of victimising him and his family, taking particular exception to the manner in which he was served a chargesheet and noting that it was leaked to the media even before it was delivered to him.

In an emotional letter, Khemka said a messenger from the Haryana chief secretary had come to his residence in Chandigarh at 8.30 pm on Wednesday and “pressed upon” his minor son to accept the notice while he was away on “outstation leave”.

“I plead with folded hands that memos and chargesheets may please be served upon me in the office and my family members may not be punished for my “sins” of exposing scams of the high and mighty …The modus operandi of serving the chargesheet in the night at the residence upon a minor member of the family is unprecedented," he said in a letter to the chief secretary. ET managed to source a copy of his letter from the Haryana administration.

“My minor son was forced to accept delivery of the packet containing the chargesheet,” the letter said, adding: “There are threats to family members that political goons may vandalise the residence in night hours creating a feeling of terror in our minds.”

The government’s sevenpage chargesheet against Khemka accuses him of administrative misconduct, damaging the reputations of Vadra and DLF, criticising state government policy and going to the media after cancelling the mutation of the land deal involving the Congress president’s son-in law.