IAS officer gets clean chit after Shivraj inquiry:Rewa Commissioner’s two reports conflict, first finds Collector guilty while second declares him completely innocent

A five-year-old land scam case in Satna has ended with the complete acquittal of IAS officer Ajay Katesaria. He was earlier accused of transferring over 40 acres of government land to private parties while serving as Satna Collector from February 2020 to December 2021. Initially, the Rewa Commissioner’s report had found him guilty and he was served a charge sheet. But under Dr. Mohan Yadav’s government, the same office later cleared him of all charges. On November 7, 2025, the General Administration Department officially acquitted him, sparking discussion in administrative and political circles. What exactly changed in just a few months that both the direction and outcome of the investigation turned 180 degrees… Read the report Government lands were transferred to private individuals
When Ajay Katesaria was the Collector of Satna, he was accused of misusing his position and transferring government lands to private individuals in many cases. In some cases, he even had the word ‘Government’ deleted from revenue documents. After these allegations came to light, the then Shivraj government took it seriously, as the Collector is considered the guardian of government lands. After the matter escalated, in December 2021, the government transferred Katesaria from the post of Satna Collector to the Ministry as Deputy Secretary in the Women and Child Development Department and initiated an investigation into the entire matter. Currently, Katesaria is posted in the General Administration Department. Four cases…mentioned in the charge sheet given to Katesaria The then Rewa Commissioner had found Katesariya guilty
Considering the seriousness of the matter, its investigation was handed over to the then Rewa Commissioner Anil Suchari. In his detailed investigation, Commissioner Suchari found Collector Ajay Katesariya directly responsible for these irregularities. He sent his report to the General Administration Department. Based on this report, the General Administration Department (GAD) issued a charge sheet against Katesariya on March 30, 2022, and sought a reply from him within 15 days. Shivraj had given a warning – I will not spare the dishonest
The high-profile nature of this case can be gauged from the fact that the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had raised it on a public platform. On April 10, 2022, at a Gaurav Diwas program in Chitrakoot, without naming Katesariya, he had said that he had come to know about the old collector of Satna. He had privatized government land worth crores. I have initiated an inquiry into this matter and action will be taken. I will not spare the dishonest. Now I will pursue this. After this statement by Shivraj, it was considered certain that major action could be taken against Katesariya. Katesariya’s tenure remained controversial
Ajay Katesariya’s tenure as Satna Collector was quite controversial. He was posted in February 2020, exactly one month before the fall of the Kamal Nath government. He remained in his post even after the Shivraj government came to power. Initially, he launched a campaign to free government lands from the clutches of mafias and politicians, which brought him much attention. He had re-declared 2 acres of land adjacent to the court premises and the old collectorate as government property, on which a residential colony had been built. According to sources, when he declared the land belonging to former minister and influential Congress leader Rajendra Kumar Singh in Amarpatan and the Block Congress office as government property, he became worthy of praise from the ruling party. When the scope of his action expanded and he also declared the land of the then Minister for Backward Classes and Minority Welfare (Independent Charge) Ramkhelawan Patel as government property, it became common talk in administrative circles that the Collector’s removal was now certain. Shortly after this, allegations of land dispute surfaced and he was removed from Satna. How Katesaria went from guilty to innocent
Based on Commissioner Anil Suchari’s report, GAD issued a charge sheet to Katesaria, but after that, the investigation process slowed down. After removing Katesaria, Anurag Verma was made the new Collector of Satna, who reopened the files of these disputed lands. The biggest twist in this case came when Katesaria filed a reply to the charge sheet issued by GAD. After his reply, GAD once again sought an opinion from the Rewa Commissioner’s office as per rules. During this period, there had been a change of power in the state, and Dr. Mohan Yadav had become the Chief Minister instead of Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Katesariya’s Response and Defense
Katesariya was issued the first charge sheet on March 30, 2022, and an additional charge sheet on July 24, 2024. In his response, Katesariya stated-
When Katesariya’s response was sent again to the Rewa Commissioner’s office for opinion, this time the report came in his favor. In the new report, his arguments were considered correct. Based on this new report, the General Administration Department issued a final order on November 7, 2025, exonerating Ajay Katesariya from all charges. The order stated that the allegations against him were not proven.