This IAS officer faces a ₹1.63 crore fine for overstaying at a Delhi bungalow — who is she?
The 2010-batch IAS officer, is in hot water after being slapped with a ₹1.63 crore damage claim for allegedly occupying a government bungalow without authorisation. Discover the details of her case, her previous controversies.
An Indian Administrative Officer (IAF) posted in Uttar Pradesh has been asked to pay ₹1.63 crore in ‘damages’ for ‘unauthorised occupation’ of an official bungalow in New Delhi, according to a media report.
The officer, currently the District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri, has said in response that she had sought extensions due to her parents’ ill health and had requested a waiver of the penal charges.
As per the Indian Express report, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), under the Union Agriculture Ministry, has issued notices to IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal seeking ₹1.63 crore in damages for what it terms her “unauthorised occupation” of an official bungalow on its Pusa campus in Delhi between May 2022 and February 2025.
Nagpal, a 2010-batch IAS officer, was allotted bungalow B-17 on 19 March 2015, after joining as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to then Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. She took possession on 16 April 2015, paying ₹6,600 a month plus water charges.
What did Durga Shakti Nagpal say?
Nagpal’s deputation in the Union Agriculture Ministry ended on May 7, 2019. But she continued to live in the bungalow while working in the Commerce Ministry. She vacated the house in February 2025 after IARI sought Delhi Police’s assistance to recover possession.
“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. I have requested for its waiver, which is in process. That is why the state government has also sent a letter to the Ministry on June 26 (this year) requesting a waiver,” Nagpal told Indian Express.
Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), popularly known as Pusa Institute is the country's leading institution for agricultural research, education and extension.
The IARI informed her in a letter in May that her request for extension “cannot be considered since the allotment of the aforementioned bungalow was already cancelled by the Institute” and directed her to deposit ₹1,63,57,550 in “damage charges” for the period from May 2022 to February 2025.
The report said that the IARI had been asking her to vacate the bungalow since 2020. In a letter on 5 August 2020, IARI allowed retention only till October 10 that year and warned that eviction proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 would follow.
On March 11, 2022, IARI, “as a special case”, allowed her to stay till April but warned that from May onwards, market rent of ₹92,000 per month would be charged, increasing progressively. She did not vacate, leading to repeated reminders in May and June.
The ₹1.63 crore demand was calculated as per rules for unauthorised occupation. For Type VI-A accommodation, damages are fixed at 50 times the licence fee plus water charges of ₹1,840 — amounting to ₹92,000 in the first month, the Indian Express said.
Who is Durga Shakti Nagpal?
Durga Shakti Nagpal was in the news in 2013 for her efforts against illegal sand mining and corruption, particularly when she launched a drive against corruption and illegal sand mining in Noida as a Joint Magistrate.
In July 2013, she was suspended by the Akhilesh Yadav-led Government of UP for allegedly demolishing an illegal mosque wall in Kadalpur village near Jewar, near Noida. Her suspension was later revoked and she was transferred to Kanpur Dehat.
Nagpal began her career in the Punjab cadre of the IAS. She joined the Mohali district administration in June 2011, and served there for fourteen months. In August 2012, she moved to the Uttar Pradesh (UP) cadre as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Noida, after marrying Abhishek Singh, who is an IAS officer of 2011 batch.
Nagpal was appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh on 14 January 2015. On 31 March 2023, she got her first posting as District Magistrate (DM) of Banda in UP.