IAS officer scraps Vadra’s DLF deal, is shunted out

Haryana government hits back at Ashok Khemka, calls it a routine transfer

In a fresh twist to the Robert Vadra-DLF-Haryana government saga, state IAS officer Ashok Khemka has cancelled the mutation of a prime plot in Gurgaon sold by the businessman to the realty giant. Khemka has since been transferred on chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s orders.
Khemka — who was director general, consolidation of holdings and land records, as well as inspector general of registration — on Monday (October 15) set aside the mutation of the 3.5-acre plot at Shikohpur village on the grounds that the assistant consolidation officer who sanctioned it wasn’t authorised to do so.
Orders for Khemka’s transfer came on October 11, hours after he launched a probe into Vadra’s land deals in the state. However, the 1991-batch IAS officer cancelled the mutation before stepping down.

“I served as IG registration till 4.30pm yesterday, the time I relinquished charge,” Khemka told reporters here on Tuesday. He is now posted as managing director of a small public sector undertaking, Haryana Seeds Development Corporation.
Khemka had written to chief secretary PK Chaudhary on October 12 against his abrupt transfer — the third in the past five months — for “exposing scams and corrupt acts”.
Hooda, however, said transfers were the government’s prerogative and weren’t punishment, even as he announced an inquiry by the chief secretary into the officer’s allegations.
“If any official has done wrong, we will take action. If Khemka has misrepresented facts, there will be action against him too,” the CM said.

Chaudhary said there was “no malice or mala fide intention” in the decision to transfer Khemka.
Before cancelling the mutation, Khemka had directed the deputy commissioners-cum-registrars of Gurgaon, Faridabad Palwal and Mewat districts to look into all properties registered by Vadra or his companies from January 1, 2005 for alleged undervaluation and submit a report by October 25. His order dated October 12 (a copy is with Hindustan Times) also mentioned the allegations levelled at the businessman by activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal and INLD leader Om Prakash Chautala.