Why was this officer always moved the moment he stood up to power? This is the story of Ashok Khemka, the man who took on corruption.
A 1991 batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, Ashok Khemka retires today after 33 years of service. He’s known across the country for his stand against corruption and for being India’s most transferred civil servant. On average, he was transferred once every seven months — a total of 57 different postings in his career.
From 2004 to 2014, under Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Khemka was transferred more than 21 times. The BJP government under Manohar Lal Khattar didn’t stop the pattern either. In just the first five years, Khemka was transferred seven more times. Most of his postings were to low-key departments like archives, archaeology, and printing.
In 2019, after his 53rd transfer, he took to social media platform X and wrote, “The reward for honesty is humiliation.” In January 2023, after his 55th transfer to the archives department, he posted “Archived again.” He also wrote to the Haryana Chief Secretary stating that his workload was just 2 to 3 hours per week. He said an IAS officer of his rank should have at least 40 hours of work per week, calling the posting inconsequential.
In October 2022, he was denied a Secretary-rank promotion while his batchmates were elevated. He again posted on social media:
“Congratulations to my batchmates, newly appointed as Secretaries to the Government of India. While this is an occasion for many, it brings equal measure of despondency for one’s own self, having been left behind. Straight trees are always cut first. No regrets. With renewed resolve, I shall persist.”
Khemka’s 57th and final transfer came in December last year. He was appointed Additional Chief Secretary of the Transport Department, just four months before retirement — a rare high-profile posting, and his first return to the Transport Department in a decade.
Ashok Khemka was born on April 30, 1965, in Kolkata. His father worked as an accountant in a jute mill. Khemka studied at Delhi University’s St. Stephen’s College, earning a degree in Mathematics. He got his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Kharagpur in 1988. He also pursued a Ph.D. in Computer Science from TIFR in Mumbai. Over the years, he earned an MBA and an MA in Economics from IGNOU, and a law degree from Punjab University. He studied law while in service between 2016 and 2019.
Let’s take a look at one of the highlights of his career. Khemka made national headlines in 2012 as Director General of Land Consolidation in Haryana. He cancelled a land deal between DLF and Skylight Hospitality, a firm linked to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi. The deal involved 3.5 acres in Manesar, Shikohpur in Gurgaon. Following this, Khemka was transferred immediately. He later said the transfer was punishment for exposing irregularities. While committees later cleared Vadra, Khemka stood by his actions.
Ashok Khemka’s story is chronicled in a 2020 book titled Just Transferred: The Untold Story of Ashok Khemka. Authors Bhavdeep Kang and Amrita Kala wrote:
“Despite being sidelined, charge-sheeted, and denied central postings, his unwavering honesty has made him a symbol of bureaucratic courage.”
In 2013, as MD of the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation, Khemka exposed irregularities in seed and fungicide purchases. He saved the state exchequer several crores and was transferred again — this time to the Haryana Staff Selection Commission. There, he flagged recruitment irregularities, leading to yet another transfer.
In the midst of all this, he was also almost posted to the PMO. After Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, there were reports that Khemka could be deputed to the Prime Minister’s Office, but that never materialized.
Despite the instability, Khemka delivered lasting reforms. He pioneered the computerization of land records in Haryana. He launched e-governance systems that improved transparency. In the Transport Department, he introduced tech reforms that reduced corruption in licensing and vehicle registration. In Social Justice, he rolled out Direct Benefit Transfers, ensuring pension money reached beneficiaries directly.
Civil society groups and RTI activists often supported him, but he also faced harassment, including departmental inquiries. Opposition parties in Haryana cited his frequent transfers as proof of the government’s hostility to honest officers. But the pattern continued under both Congress and BJP governments.
Through rare interviews and posts on social media platform X, Khemka often reflected on how India’s bureaucracy works. He has called for fixed tenures and greater autonomy for civil servants.
In January 2023, he even offered to head Haryana’s Vigilance Department. He wrote:
“Corruption is all-pervasive. When I see corruption, it hurts my soul. In my zeal to root out this cancer, I have sacrificed my service career. If given an opportunity, I assure you there would be a real war against corruption. And no one, however high and mighty, will be spared.”
About the Author
