For Ashok Khemka, one more ‘punishment transfer’ was yet another feather in his cap as an upright IAS officer, but he has strongly objected this time. Last week, he ordered a probe into the controversial land deals between the real estate major DLF and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra. Within days he was transferred: his 40th in 20 years.
"It is shocking to learn about my abrupt transfer... this is deliberate and malafide to punish me due to some vested elements in the political-bureaucratic hierarchy affected by the expose of the scams in consolidation of land holdings under the exercise of powers," Khemka said in a letter to Haryana chief secretary PK Chaudhary.
As the news broke on Tuesday, many TV news channels spoke with him, and the officer spoke from the heart.
"If these problems are brought in sunshine, probably my decisions would appear to be normal correct. But what happens is, inside, you are guided and directed that behave differently. If you do take an action which you call strong but I would call as correct, and then action is taken against you, it's very demoralising, dehumanising and you feel ashamed of yourself that look, there must be something wrong with you that these things are happening. You get words like 'you don't get along well with others, 'there are shades of grey in life' etc. These kinds of euphemism are created to deviate you from the correct path," Khemka told NDTV.
"I have requested the chief secretary to allow me at least two years of posting as per the service rules... frequent transfers like these is demoralising for upright officers," Mr Khemka told NDTV.
“I have not revealed how much money Vadra made. That is left for the courts to judge,” Khemka told NDTV. He added, “The confidence of the people must be restored in public office. So if the allegations are being leveled wide let it come out and if the allegations are true, then certainly action must be called for.”
“We must distinguish between the government and the decision makers within the government. The government is not at fault, some decision makers and authority who are vested with power are at fault. They may be 10 percent in the system,” he said.
Khemka said if an organization was corrupt people who come in were influenced by that organization and were moulded by it. “Many Indians go out and work well but here they are not able to perform their best because of the system prevailing here. Every time you perform a duty an action is taken against you. It is very demoralizing and you feel ashamed of yourself. These things deviates you from the correct path.”
The 1991-batch IAS officer told Times Now, "On October 8, I initiated a probe into the alleged reports of undervaluation based on media reports and allegations of wrongdoing by my office. I was served a transfer order on October 11 at 10 pm at my residence."
He refused to comment on the reason behind his transfer. "It is for the state government to answer this question," Khemka told Times Now.
"I have suffered 40 transfers in 20 years. I would want to know why I am transferred, so that I can take corrective action and become a better civil servant," he said.
His probe orders, as inspector general of registration, followed the allegations made by India Against Corruption convener Arvind Kejriwal earlier this month.
Kejriwal told the TV channel that it was unfortunate that such an honest officer was transferred 40 times in 20 years. "He upfronted a deal that was to happen between Vadra and DLF and he ordered to cancel the deals. I want to know from chief minister (Bhupinder Singh Hooda) what is the policy in Haryana about transfer. He was transferred in three months. Does that transfer policy say that if you say anything against Vadra and his family then you will be transferred?" Kejriwal said.
Khemka cancelled the land deal between Mr Vadra and DLF on the last day of his stint on October 15. Surprisingly, the value of the land went up from Rs. 7.5 crore to Rs. 58 crore in just 65 days after getting the licence.
