The Madhya Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has officially exonerated IAS officer Ajay Katesaria from serious allegations of illegally transferring government land during his tenure as Satna district collector.
Background of the Allegations
Katesaria had been facing serious charges related to his handling of land cases between February 2020 and December 2021. The allegations claimed he issued unlawful orders that facilitated the illegal transfer of government land to private individuals and violated conduct rules for All India Services officers.
The case began with a departmental chargesheet issued on March 30, 2022, followed by an additional chargesheet on July 24, 2024. The specific accusations included:
- Illegally entering government land in private individuals' names
- Deleting the word "government" from official land records
- Passing orders contrary to government interest in at least nine separate land cases
- Violating multiple provisions of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968
Government's Investigation and Findings
In a significant development dated November 7, 2025, the General Administration Department completely cleared Katesaria of all major charges. The order, signed by Farheen Khan, Under Secretary (Personnel), in the name of the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, concluded that his actions were lawful and conducted within his judicial authority.
The investigation revealed that in most cases, the orders passed by Katesaria were judicial or quasi-judicial in nature and were issued in compliance with directions from the Board of Revenue and various courts. His detailed replies were found satisfactory and acceptable by the Commissioner.
Critical factors in the decision included:
- Final decisions in those matters are still pending before the High Court
- Revenue Department Circular provides protection to presiding officers of revenue courts from disciplinary action regarding quasi-judicial proceedings
- The Revenue Department had previously upheld the correctness of his orders during Assembly sessions
Minor Caution and Final Resolution
While exonerating him from all major charges, the government did identify one area of concern. Investigators found that in dealing with one particular case, there was a lack of adequate oversight and due vigilance on Katesaria's part while implementing the Revenue Board's decision.
Based on these findings, the government took a lenient view and issued only a warning to the IAS officer to exercise due caution in future. The order explicitly stated that the case concludes at this stage without imposing any penalty.
Katesaria, who is currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the General Administration Department, had maintained throughout the investigation that all his orders were legal, rational, and in accordance with previous judicial decisions. He had claimed that the chargesheet was malicious and presented facts in a distorted manner.
The officer emphasized that all his decisions were taken after detailed examination of relevant circumstances and that even the Revenue Department had upheld the correctness of his actions during Assembly sessions.
