IARI Accuses Officer of “Unauthorised Occupation” at Pusa Campus Residence
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), functioning under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, has slapped a recovery demand of ₹1.63 crore on IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, claiming she remained in a government bungalow on the Pusa campus without authorisation between May 2022 and February 2025.
Nagpal, a 2010-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre and currently the District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri, has contested the charge, saying her stay was extended for unavoidable family reasons and that the penalty figure is inflated and unrealistic.
How the Allotment Began
The residence in question, B-17 (Type VI-A), was allotted to Nagpal on March 19, 2015, when she joined as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to then Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. She formally occupied the bungalow on April 16, 2015, at a licence fee of ₹6,600 per month, along with water charges.
Although her deputation with the Agriculture Ministry ended in May 2019, Nagpal continued living in the bungalow while posted in the Ministry of Commerce, and even after her repatriation to Uttar Pradesh in 2021.
Officer’s Defence: Health Issues and Formal Requests
Nagpal has clarified that she sought extensions from the Ministry and duly paid rent for the period she remained. According to her, paperwork lapses later led to the addition of “penal damages,” which she described as arbitrary.
She explained that serious health conditions in her family, including her father’s bypass surgery and her mother’s knee replacement, contributed to delays in vacating. Nagpal also stated that she cleared outstanding dues of ₹88,610 for May 2015–April 2022 and formally requested the Union government to waive the damage penalty.
Institute’s Account: Overstay Despite Repeated Reminders
IARI records indicate that the institute had been asking Nagpal to vacate since 2020. Though she was initially allowed to retain the bungalow until October 10, 2020, she was warned that continuing thereafter would be treated as unauthorised occupation under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
By 2022, IARI began levying market rent on a telescopic scale, with penalties increasing each month: ₹92,000 in the first month, rising by 10–20% progressively, and reaching a ceiling of ₹4.6 lakh per month by the eighth month.
In February 2025, IARI even sought Delhi Police assistance to recover the property. Nagpal vacated the residence on February 28, one day before her stated exit date of March 1.
Basis of the ₹1.63 Crore Claim
A formal notice issued on May 2, 2025, calculated damages at ₹1,63,57,550 for the period May 2022–February 2025. The institute argued that since Nagpal was no longer on deputation with the Agriculture Ministry and had no fresh allotment order, her continued occupation was unlawful.
Although Nagpal asserted that then Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had assured her about regularising the allotment, IARI maintained no such approval was ever officially communicated.
UP Government’s Role and RTI Angle
The Uttar Pradesh government forwarded Nagpal’s waiver plea to the Union Ministry on June 26, 2025, but refrained from recommending either acceptance or rejection.
Meanwhile, the prolonged stay had attracted scrutiny through several RTI applications, with applicants questioning why rules on government accommodation for senior officers were not being strictly enforced. Multiple reminders were sent to Nagpal through 2024, before eviction steps escalated in early 2025.
Current Situation
Nagpal continues to maintain that the recovery claim is “excessive and purely notional.” She has reiterated that her waiver request is still under consideration and expressed confidence that the matter will be resolved.
“The charges being sought are exaggerated and impractical,” she said, adding that she expects a favourable outcome from the ongoing review.
