NI Bureau
From 55 Transfers to ACS: Will Ashok Khemka’s Final Posting Reshape Haryana’s Bureaucracy?
Ashok Khemka, the senior IAS officer who has been transferred 55 times over his remarkable 33-year career, is now taking on his most significant role yet—Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the Transport Department. As of January 2023, Khemka holds the distinction of being the second-most transferred bureaucrat in Haryana, just behind retired IAS officer Pradeep Kasni. With his retirement looming in April 2025, this last posting has raised speculation: Could this final chapter in his career finally bring about the reforms he has long advocated for?
Khemka, a 1991-batch officer, returns to the Transport Department after nearly a decade, replacing IPS officer Navdeep Vrik. His earlier tenure as Transport Commissioner during the first term of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was short but memorable. In just four months, Khemka stood firm on issuing fitness certificates for oversized trucks, a move that sparked a truckers’ strike. The strike ended when the government granted an extension for compliance with national regulations.
Throughout his career, Khemka has become known not just for his dedication, but for his relentless pursuit of transparency and anti-corruption reforms. Despite his vocal efforts to address corruption—such as offering to lead the Vigilance Bureau—he has often been posted to lesser-known departments, with an average of a new position every six months. Now, with his return to a key department, all eyes are on Khemka: Will his final posting be the one that allows him to implement the changes he’s been fighting for, or will it just be another chapter in the saga of his controversial and transient career, the time will tell.
