CHANDIGARH: Ashok Khemka , the Haryana IAS officer best known for annulling a controversial land deal involving Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra and real estate giant DLF in 2012, has retired from service and now plans to begin a new chapter—as a lawyer.
Ending a 33-year-long career that saw an extraordinary 57 transfers, often to "inconsequential" posts, Khemka told The Times of India that he will be applying to the Bar Council for a license to practice law. “I will apply to the bar council for a licence to practice as an advocate,” he confirmed, signaling his intent to continue serving the public, albeit from a different platform.
A 1991-batch officer, Khemka retired on Wednesday as Additional Chief Secretary in the Haryana Transport Department. His tenure was marked by repeated clashes with successive governments—both Congress and BJP—stemming from his reputation as a whistleblower and a strict enforcer of rules.
Despite being briefly entrusted with senior roles, including his last posting under Minister Anil Vij, Khemka was often shuffled between departments such as archaeology, museums, and science & technology, with little policy influence.
The BJP had once hailed Khemka’s stand on the Vadra-DLF deal as a symbol of its anti-corruption plank in the 2014 general elections. However, once in power both at the Centre and in Haryana, the party offered him few substantial roles. Khemka did not shy away from expressing his disappointment. In a 2019 letter to then CM Manohar Lal Khattar, he criticized the state for transferring him based on “extraneous and personal considerations.”
“Governance is no longer a service; it is a business,” he had written, expressing frustration with the erosion of public service values. Despite the turbulence, Khemka remained committed to the idea of public accountability.
He was given a formal farewell by the IAS Officers Association in the presence of Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi. Now, as he transitions into the legal field, observers will be watching whether Khemka’s next innings brings the same principled activism that defined his bureaucratic career.
Ending a 33-year-long career that saw an extraordinary 57 transfers, often to "inconsequential" posts, Khemka told The Times of India that he will be applying to the Bar Council for a license to practice law. “I will apply to the bar council for a licence to practice as an advocate,” he confirmed, signaling his intent to continue serving the public, albeit from a different platform.
A 1991-batch officer, Khemka retired on Wednesday as Additional Chief Secretary in the Haryana Transport Department. His tenure was marked by repeated clashes with successive governments—both Congress and BJP—stemming from his reputation as a whistleblower and a strict enforcer of rules.
Despite being briefly entrusted with senior roles, including his last posting under Minister Anil Vij, Khemka was often shuffled between departments such as archaeology, museums, and science & technology, with little policy influence.
The BJP had once hailed Khemka’s stand on the Vadra-DLF deal as a symbol of its anti-corruption plank in the 2014 general elections. However, once in power both at the Centre and in Haryana, the party offered him few substantial roles. Khemka did not shy away from expressing his disappointment. In a 2019 letter to then CM Manohar Lal Khattar, he criticized the state for transferring him based on “extraneous and personal considerations.”
“Governance is no longer a service; it is a business,” he had written, expressing frustration with the erosion of public service values. Despite the turbulence, Khemka remained committed to the idea of public accountability.
He was given a formal farewell by the IAS Officers Association in the presence of Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi. Now, as he transitions into the legal field, observers will be watching whether Khemka’s next innings brings the same principled activism that defined his bureaucratic career.
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