A remarkable yet controversial IAS officer, Ashok Khemka, known for his integrity and willingness to fight against corruption, retired on April 30, 2025, after over 30 years of service, which included a staggering 57 transfers, averaging one every six months. Khemka, who was born in Kolkata, earned his BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1988. He later completed a PhD in Computer Science from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He joined the civil services in 1991 in the Haryana cadre and experienced numerous transfers, as mentioned. The 1991-batch officer retired as Additional Chief Secretary in the Transport Department, a position he was posted to in December 2024.
Since Ashok Khemka and his career are currently the talk of the town, take a look at his journey and all the key moments, enough to help you understand how interesting his tenure as a civil servant has been.
Khemka gained massive attention in 2012 after cancelling the mutation of a Gurugram land deal linked to Robert Vadra, exposing irregularities in the transaction and triggering immediate backlash, including his abrupt transfer. Following this, as Managing Director of the Haryana Seed Development Corporation in 2013, he exposed an INR 10+ crore scam involving inflated fungicide procurement and mismanagement of wheat seeds, which was later vindicated by a CAG report.
However, he faced multiple chargesheets and transfers, including four postings to the Archives Department (three under BJP governments), where he criticised the lack of meaningful work. In 2023, he publicly sought a role in the Vigilance Department to combat systemic corruption, highlighting lopsided bureaucratic workloads. Now, after numerous transfers and repeated backlash throughout his career, he bids farewell to public service.
Averaged one transfer every 6 months (57 transfers in 34 years)
Longest stint: Approximately 16 months in Land Revenue Management during the 1990s
Shortest posting: 11 days as Joint Secretary in 1999
Key departments:
Land Revenue – 10 postings
Archives – 4 postings
Transport – 2 postings