New Delhi: The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), functioning under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, has issued a recovery notice to celebrated IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, demanding ₹1.63 crore in damages for what it describes as the “unauthorised occupation” of a government bungalow on its Pusa campus between May 2022 and February 2025.
Ms Durga Shakti Nagpal, a 2010-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, is currently serving as District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri. She has strongly refuted the allegation, stating that her stay was extended due to compelling personal reasons and that the penal charges being sought are notional and impractical.
Background of Allotment and Tenure
The bungalow in question – B-17 (Type VI-A) – was allotted to IAS Nagpal on March 19, 2015, after she was appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to then Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. She officially took possession on April 16, 2015, with a monthly rent of ₹6,600 plus water charges.
Her deputation at the Agriculture Ministry ended in May 2019, but Ms Nagpal continued to stay in the bungalow while serving in the Commerce Ministry and even after returning to the Uttar Pradesh cadre in 2021.
Nagpal’s Response: Family Health Issues and Ministry Approvals
Responding to the notice, IAS Nagpal stated, “I had requested the Ministry for extension, which was allowed, and I have paid the rent for the same and subsequently vacated the house. Still, due to some lack of paperwork they added compounding penal charges which are notional and impractical.”
She added that her father’s bypass surgery and mother’s knee replacement surgeries were significant reasons for delaying her move out of the premises. IAS Nagpal said she had also deposited the outstanding licence fee of ₹88,610 for the earlier period (May 2015 to April 2022) and reiterated her plea for the waiver of the damage charges.
Institute’s Stand: Repeated Warnings and Eviction Attempts
According to official correspondence, IARI had been urging Nagpal to vacate the residence since 2020. It had initially allowed her to retain the bungalow till October 10, 2020, but warned of legal action under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, if she overstayed.
By 2022, IARI began charging her market rent calculated using a telescopic penalty system, under which the monthly damages escalated significantly:
- ₹92,000 in the first month
- ₹1,01,200 in the second (10% hike)
- ₹1,10,400 in the third (20%)
- Progressively increasing to a cap of ₹4.6 lakh per month from the eighth month onward
Eventually, IARI sought Delhi Police’s assistance in February 2025 to reclaim the bungalow. Nagpal vacated it on February 28, a day before her self-declared deadline of March 1.
₹1.63 Crore Damage Demand Explained
On May 2, 2025, IARI issued a formal notice demanding ₹1,63,57,550 in damages for the period between May 2022 and February 2025. The calculation was based on official norms, citing her stay as “unauthorised” since she was no longer under the Ministry and had not received formal re-allotment approval.
Despite claims from Nagpal that then Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had discussed regularising her stay, IARI said no official confirmation was received from the Minister’s office.
UP Government’s Involvement
Sources confirmed that the Uttar Pradesh government forwarded Nagpal’s waiver request to the Union Ministry on June 26, 2025. However, the state did not make any specific recommendation in favour of or against the waiver.
RTI Pressure and Public Interest
The institute also cited several RTI queries filed about Nagpal’s prolonged occupation of the bungalow, raising public interest concerns about the enforcement of housing rules for senior civil servants. In 2024 alone, multiple notices were served before finally involving the police in early 2025.
Current Status
Nagpal maintains that the penalty is exaggerated and notional. She said the matter is under active consideration, and she is hopeful of a waiver.
“I have requested for its waiver, which is in process. The penal charges being added are notional and impractical,” she said.
