Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka was at the centre of another controversy on Wednesday, with the Haryana government saying he was sent on election duty and the post he held was temporarily given to another officer.
Contesting the order, Mr. Khemka, who made headlines last year after he cancelled the mutation of the Robert Vadra-DLF land deal in his capacity as head of Town and Country Planning, said he had not proceeded on any election duty. Neither had he handed over his charge to anyone.
In a minor reshuffle on Tuesday, the State government posted Pradeep Kasni, Secretary, Administrative Reforms Department, as Secretary of the Archives Department and Director-General, Archives, “during the period of election duty of Ashok Khemka.” He would continue to discharge his current duties.
However, Mr. Khemka, an IAS officer of the 1991 batch, who has been transferred several times, told journalists that he had been on leave since Saturday last till Tuesday and had never relinquished his charge. In fact, he rejoined duty on Wednesday.
The State government is preparing a second charge sheet against Mr. Khemka for the alleged low sale of wheat seeds when he was managing director of the Seed Development Corporation from October 15, 2012 to April 4 this year.
