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As a senior IAS officer, Ashok Khemka wanted to wage a “real war against corruption". But, trapped in a system riddled with red tape, what he received were 57 transfer orders in his career of 34 years. Khemka, who made headlines as a symbol of bureaucratic integrity and resilience in the country, retired on April 30, the Times of India reported.

A 1991-batch officer from the Haryana cadre, in his last posting, Khemka was the additional chief secretary in the state’s transport department. It was not his first time at the department. At a previous stint almost a decade ago, he had worked there for only four months before being transferred again.

Khemka's rise to national prominence occurred in 2012 when he revoked the mutation of a controversial Gurugram land deal linked to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. Vadra was in the process of officially updating government records to reflect a change in property ownership, ensuring the government's records match the current owner. But Khemka's move earned him widespread media attention. It also earned him another transfer.

In 2023, he wrote to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, requesting to head the vigilance department and lead a “real war against corruption.” “Towards the end of my service career, I offer my services to head the vigilance department… no one, however, high and mighty, will be spared,” Times of India quoted him as saying. But he found himself sidelined, again.

Khemka served under seven different chief ministers, including Om Prakash Chautala, Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Manohar Lal Khattar, and the current chief minister, Nayab Singh Saini.

He is likely to be the most transferred officer in Haryana’s bureaucratic history, with an average tenure of just under six months per posting, but he continued flagging irregularities and speaking out against maladministration.

When his peers were promoted to senior government roles, Khemka said: “Straight trees are always cut first. No regrets. With renewed resolve, I shall persist.”

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