The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), under the Ministry of Agriculture, has issued a notice to IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagapal. A demand for payment of Rs 1.63 crore as compensation for alleged “unauthorised occupation” of an official bungalow on its Delhi campus between May 2022 and February 2025, as per a report by The Indian Express.
Who is IAS Durga Shakti Nagapal?
Nagpal is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh and is at present serving as the District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri. She was allotted the government accommodation while serving as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the then Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh in 2015. Her deputation ended in 2019, but IARI claims she continued to occupy the residence for several years after that.
In her response, Nagpal told The Indian Express that her parents’ serious health conditions. Her father had a bypass surgery, and her mother had a knee replacement. These were the reasons behind the delay process of vacating the premises. She mentioned that he has sought an official extension, which was sanctioned, and has also paid the rent and dues for the extended period before vacating the house.
Nagpal stated that despite her compliance, IARI later imposed a heavy charge due to what it called documentation discrepancies. ‘’I have already paid the license fee and vacated the house. The penalty is arbitrary and disproportionate,” she stated, adding that she has requested a waiver from the charge from the ministry.
IARI cites extended stay and authorised use
According to IARI records, repeated reminders were given to Nagpal from 2020 onwards for vacating the premises. In March 2022, the institute approved her temporary permission to reside until April that year, warning that by May 2022, the rent would rise to Rs 92,000 per month and increase incrementally as per the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
While the house continued to be occupied, the institute initiated eviction proceedings in July 2022 and issued multiple notices. The premises were finally vacated in February 2025, after IARI took police assistance.
The Rs 1.63 crore penalty, officials stated, was calculated on the basis of telescopic formula rates that multiply the monthly license fee by up to 50 times, as allowed under government norms. Nagpal, on the other hand, has called the amount unrealistic and under review.