diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.c
index 0be9c2c69..72bec2256 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.c
@@ -91,25 +91,6 @@ struct nvgpu_tsg_share_token_node {
 };
 #endif
 
-struct gk20a_ctrl_priv {
-	struct device *dev;
-	struct gk20a *g;
-	struct nvgpu_clk_session *clk_session;
-	struct nvgpu_cdev *cdev;
-#ifdef CONFIG_NVGPU_TSG_SHARING
-	u64 device_instance_id;
-	u64 tsg_share_token;
-	struct nvgpu_list_node tsg_share_tokens_list;
-	struct nvgpu_mutex tokens_lock;
-#endif
-
-	struct nvgpu_list_node list;
-	struct {
-		struct vm_area_struct *vma;
-		bool vma_mapped;
-	} usermode_vma;
-};
-
 static inline struct gk20a_ctrl_priv *
 gk20a_ctrl_priv_from_list(struct nvgpu_list_node *node)
 {
@@ -178,6 +159,8 @@ int gk20a_ctrl_dev_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
 	nvgpu_mutex_init(&priv->tokens_lock);
 #endif
 
+	nvgpu_ref_init(&priv->refcount);
+
 	if (!g->sw_ready) {
 		err = gk20a_busy(g);
 		if (err)
@@ -202,9 +185,9 @@ free_ref:
 	return err;
 }
 
-int gk20a_ctrl_dev_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
+void nvgpu_ioctl_ctrl_release(struct nvgpu_ref *ref)
 {
-	struct gk20a_ctrl_priv *priv = filp->private_data;
+	struct gk20a_ctrl_priv *priv = container_of(ref, struct gk20a_ctrl_priv, refcount);
 	struct gk20a *g = priv->g;
 	struct nvgpu_os_linux *l = nvgpu_os_linux_from_gk20a(g);
 
@@ -219,6 +202,16 @@ int gk20a_ctrl_dev_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
 
 	nvgpu_put(g);
 	nvgpu_kfree(g, priv);
+}
+
+int gk20a_ctrl_dev_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
+{
+	struct gk20a_ctrl_priv *priv = filp->private_data;
+	struct gk20a *g = priv->g;
+
+	nvgpu_log_fn(g, " ");
+
+	nvgpu_ref_put(&priv->refcount, nvgpu_ioctl_ctrl_release);
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.h b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.h
index e370c472c..177be513a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_ctrl.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2011-2022, NVIDIA CORPORATION.  All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2011-2023, NVIDIA CORPORATION.  All rights reserved.
  *
  * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
  * under the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License,
@@ -16,9 +16,36 @@
 #ifndef __NVGPU_IOCTL_CTRL_H__
 #define __NVGPU_IOCTL_CTRL_H__
 
-struct gk20a_ctrl_priv;
 struct nvgpu_tsg;
 
+struct gk20a_ctrl_priv {
+	struct device *dev;
+	struct gk20a *g;
+	struct nvgpu_clk_session *clk_session;
+	struct nvgpu_cdev *cdev;
+#ifdef CONFIG_NVGPU_TSG_SHARING
+	u64 device_instance_id;
+	u64 tsg_share_token;
+	struct nvgpu_list_node tsg_share_tokens_list;
+	struct nvgpu_mutex tokens_lock;
+#endif
+
+	/**
+	 * This ref is initialized during gk20a_ctrl_dev_open.
+	 * This is ref_get whenever a TSG is opened for a device.
+	 * This is ref_put whenever a TSG is released from a device.
+	 */
+	struct nvgpu_ref refcount;
+
+	struct nvgpu_list_node list;
+	struct {
+		struct vm_area_struct *vma;
+		bool vma_mapped;
+	} usermode_vma;
+};
+
+void nvgpu_ioctl_ctrl_release(struct nvgpu_ref *ref);
+
 int gk20a_ctrl_dev_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp);
 int gk20a_ctrl_dev_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp);
 long gk20a_ctrl_dev_ioctl(struct file *filp, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_tsg.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_tsg.c
index 70f281e2d..d3fe2ba6a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_tsg.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/ioctl_tsg.c
@@ -696,7 +696,12 @@ int nvgpu_ioctl_tsg_open(struct gk20a *g, struct gk20a_ctrl_priv *ctrl_priv,
 	priv->g = g;
 	priv->tsg = tsg;
 	priv->cdev = cdev;
+
+	if (ctrl_priv != NULL) {
+		nvgpu_ref_get(&ctrl_priv->refcount);
+	}
 	priv->ctrl_priv = ctrl_priv;
+
 	filp->private_data = priv;
 
 	return 0;
@@ -766,25 +771,30 @@ int nvgpu_ioctl_tsg_dev_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
 	g = tsg->g;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_NVGPU_TSG_SHARING
-	nvgpu_mutex_acquire(&tsg->tsg_share_lock);
+	if (priv->ctrl_priv) {
+		nvgpu_mutex_acquire(&tsg->tsg_share_lock);
 
-	err = nvgpu_gpu_tsg_revoke_share_tokens(g,
-				nvgpu_gpu_get_device_instance_id(priv->ctrl_priv),
-				tsg, &count);
-	if (err != 0) {
-		nvgpu_err(g, "revoke token(%llu) failed %d",
-			  nvgpu_gpu_get_device_instance_id(priv->ctrl_priv),
-			  err);
+		err = nvgpu_gpu_tsg_revoke_share_tokens(g,
+			nvgpu_gpu_get_device_instance_id(priv->ctrl_priv),
+			tsg, &count);
+		if (err != 0) {
+			nvgpu_err(g, "revoke token(%llu) failed %d",
+				  nvgpu_gpu_get_device_instance_id(priv->ctrl_priv),
+				  err);
+		}
+
+		tsg->share_token_count -= count;
+
+		nvgpu_mutex_release(&tsg->tsg_share_lock);
+
+		nvgpu_tsg_remove_ctrl_dev_inst_id(tsg, priv->ctrl_priv);
 	}
-
-	tsg->share_token_count -= count;
-
-	nvgpu_mutex_release(&tsg->tsg_share_lock);
-
-	nvgpu_tsg_remove_ctrl_dev_inst_id(tsg, priv->ctrl_priv);
 #endif
 
 	nvgpu_ref_put(&tsg->refcount, nvgpu_ioctl_tsg_release);
+	if (priv->ctrl_priv) {
+		nvgpu_ref_put(&priv->ctrl_priv->refcount, nvgpu_ioctl_ctrl_release);
+	}
 	nvgpu_kfree(g, priv);
 
 	nvgpu_put(g);