Robert Vadra row to 57 transfers in 34 years: Look back at Ashok Khemka’s legal troubles as IAS officer hangs boots

1. Cancellation of Robert Vadra-DLF land deal mutation (2012)

In October 2012, as Director-General of Land Consolidation and Land Records, Khemka cancelled the mutation of a 3.5-acre land deal in Shikohpur (now Sector 83), Gurugram, between Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, linked to Robert Vadra, and DLF Universal Ltd.

The land was purchased by Skylight for Rs 7.5 crore in February 2008 and sold to DLF for Rs 58 crore after the Congress-led Haryana government granted it a commercial colony licence. Khemka alleged the transaction was a “sham”, facilitated by political influence.

The Haryana government filed a chargesheet in 2013, accusing Khemka of overstepping his authority and exercising power after his transfer, violating service norms. The state government also alleged that the officer had selectively targeted Vadra’s deal, ignoring 2,500 similar mutations in Shikohpur from 1990 to 2012. Further, he had breached the All India Service Rules by publicly critiquing government policies in media interviews.

Khemka defended his actions, denied selective targeting, and contended that his public statements were necessary to expose systemic corruption.

The BJP-led Haryana government dropped the major penalty chargesheet in November 2015, facilitating Khemka’s promotion to principal secretary.

The money laundering case is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), with Vadra questioned by the central agency earlier this month. The development triggered his transfer to the Archives Department, with no further legal action or trial since.

2. Probe into other Gurugram land deals linked to Vadra (2012)
In 2012, Khemka also ordered the deputy commissioner of Gurgaon (now Gurugram) to investigate all properties registered by Vadra or his companies (Skylight Realty, Real Earth Estates, Blue Breeze Trading, Artex, and North India IT Parks) since January 1, 2005, for alleged under-valuation to evade taxes. This directive followed complaints from India Against Corruption and opposition leader Om Prakash Chautala.

The then Congress-led Haryana government again accused Khemka of overreach, initiating a “fishing inquiry” without specific evidence, and embarrassing the government through media leaks.

The Justice Dhingra Commission formed by the BJP government in 2015 to investigate such land deals submitted a confidential report in 2016 that has been kept sealed and not acted upon.

3. Wazirabad land allotment allegations (2018)

In 2018, one Surender Sharma filed an FIR at Kherki Daula police station, alleging that Vadra, Hooda, DLF, and others conspired to secure wrongful allotment of 350 acres in Wazirabad as part of a Rs 5,000-crore land scam.

The state government initially questioned Khemka over why he didn’t pursue the Wazirabad allegations during his 2012 tenure. Khemka said the allegations surfaced much later. An investigation in the case is ongoing.

4. Alleged defamation in Gurugram land deal public statements (2012-2013)

Khemka’s public statements and media interviews in 2012-2013, where he called the Vadra-DLF deal a “sham” and alleged political favouritism in Gurugram’s land licensing, led to a defamation complaint by a Congress leader in Haryana. The complaint was filed in a Gurugram court, accusing Khemka of tarnishing the reputation of the state government and Vadra.

The officer refuted the allegations, saying conduct rules did not bar whistleblowing on illegal activities and that silencing him would protect vested interests.

The case did not proceed to trial as the state dropped the chargesheet against him.

5. Gurugram land consolidation irregularities inquiry (2012)

As Director General of Land Consolidation, Khemka initiated an inquiry in 2012 into broader irregularities in Gurugram’s land consolidation process. He had flagged discrepancies in how agricultural land was reclassified for commercial use, benefiting developers.

This led to a state government probe into his conduct. Khemka cited evidence of developers exploiting consolidation loopholes in Gurugram, inflating land values, and depriving farmers of fair compensation. He accused the government of shielding powerful real estate lobbies.

The probe did not lead to a chargesheet or conviction. Khemka’s transfer to the Archives Department in 2013 effectively stalled the matter.

The Indian Express tried reaching out to Khemka for a comment, but could not get through.