Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka on Tuesday questioned the legal authority of a committee formed by the state government to investigate his recent order cancelling a land deal between Robert Vadra and realty giant DLF.
The 1991-batch IAS officer said only Punjab and Haryana high court had the authority to look into the quasi-judicial decision he took as director general of consolidation of holdings and land records and inspector general of registration.
Orders for Khemka's transfer from the department came on October 11, hours after he launched a probe into Vadra's land deals in the state.
Before relinquishing charge on October 15, he cancelled the mutation (transfer of title of a property in revenue records) of a prime 3.5-acre plot in Gurgaon sold by Vadra to DLF for around R58 crore.
"The aggrieved party can challenge the decision in high court," said Khemka, who has been posted as the managing director of Haryana Seeds Development Corporation.
Asked if he thought the Haryana government was trying to shield Vadra, he denied making any such insinuation.
On October 19, the state government formed an inquiry committee to examine Khemka's stand on land deals involving Vadra and DLF in Gurgaon and Palwal districts.
The committee headed by Krishan Mohan, additional chief secretary, revenue, has two other IAS officers, KK Jalan and Rajan Gupta.
The committee is likely to consider objections to Khemka's order raised by TC Gupta, director of Haryana's town and country planning department.
Khemka has termed Gupta's objections a "red herring" to divert the real issue. The committee's inquiry is supposed to be completed within a month.