Haryana transfers Khemka again

Chandigarh, April 7 Senior Haryana-cadre IAS officer Ashok Khemka was on Thursday transferred again by the Haryana government -- the 47th transfer for the officer in nearly 25 years of service.

Khemka, who was posted in the inconsequential Archaeology and Museums department, has been posted as principal secretary, science and technology.

Soon after his new posting orders were issued on Thursday, Khemka tweeted: "Posting order in my rank of Principal Secretary after a 99-day delay."

On March 30, he had tweeted: "Awaiting posting on promotion for last 3 months. Holding a lower rank post is humiliating. Like a Lt Gen forced to hold post of Brigadier."

Six other senior IAS officers were also transferred by the Manohar Lal Khattar government in the state.

Khemka, a 1991-batch IAS officer, was promoted as principal secretary by the Haryana government in January this year.

Khemka, whose actions had even got the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election speeches in Haryana in October 2014, had hit national headlines in October 2012 when he cancelled the mutation of a Rs.58-crore land deal between Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and realty giant DLF and ordered a probe into controversial land deals done by Vadra in Haryana.

He was hounded by the previous Congress government in Haryana headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda for this action.

Khemka, an IIT graduate, was touted to get an important assignment when the BJP came to power in Haryana in October 2014. However, he was posted in the transport department and later confined to the Archaeology and Museums Department.