Exclusive | Agri institute seeks Rs 1.63 Cr from celebrated IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal for ‘unauthorised stay’ in bungalow

“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 The Indian Express.

She said her father’s bypass surgery and mother’s knee replacements delayed her vacating the premises. “I had requested the Ministry for extension, which was allowed, and I have paid the rent for the same and subsequently vacated the house,” she said.

Nagpal was allotted bungalow B-17 (Type VI-A) on March 19, 2015, after joining as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to then Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. She took possession on April 16, 2015, paying ₹6,600 a month plus water charges.

Her deputation in the Agriculture Ministry ended on May 7, 2019, but she continued to occupy the premises while working in the Commerce Ministry and later after returning to her cadre in 2021. She vacated the house in February this year after IARI sought Delhi Police’s assistance to recover possession.

In a letter dated May 2, IARI informed her 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.

Sources said the Uttar Pradesh government forwarded Nagpal’s waiver request to the Ministry but did not make any recommendation of its own. Nagpal said she had already deposited an outstanding licence fee of ₹88,610 for May 2015-April 2022 and reiterated her request for waiver of damages.

According to IARI records, the institute had been urging her to vacate the bungalow since 2020. In a letter on August 5, 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.

It also informed her that damages of ₹78,000 per month, calculated on a telescopic basis – under which penalties increase progressively – would apply from October 2020. Despite reminders, Nagpal sought an extension till January 2022. IARI agreed but after she rejoined the UP government in April 2021, its Director Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh again asked her to vacate, citing “acute shortage of residences in campus for entitled scientists.”

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.

IARI initiated eviction proceedings on July 8, 2022. A show-cause notice and three summonses followed. In December 2022, she was given two weeks to vacate, and on January 31, 2023, the Estate Officer issued a final eviction notice.

The order noted Nagpal’s claim that then Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had discussed regularising her stay. IARI said it sought confirmation from the Minister’s office but received none.

In February 2023, IARI informed her that several RTI queries had been filed about her continued stay. It also wrote to the UP Chief Secretary urging him to direct her to vacate. Over 2024, three more notices were sent.

With no response, IARI wrote to Delhi Police in February 2025 seeking help to reclaim the bungalow. On February 6, the institute sought “police assistance and protection for taking over the government accommodation from unauthorised occupation”. Nagpal vacated on February 28, a day before her self-declared deadline of March 1.

The ₹1.63 crore demand was calculated as per government norms 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 telescopic formula raises this progressively:

· Second month: ₹1,01,200 (10% increase)

· Third month: ₹1,10,400 (20%)

· Fourth month: ₹1,28,800 (40%)

· Fifth month: ₹1,65,600 (80%)

· Sixth month: ₹2,39,200 (160%)

From the eighth month onwards, the rate is capped at ₹4.6 lakh per month (five times ₹92,000).

IARI’s May 2 notice demanded ₹1,63,57,550 in total damages for May 2022–February 2025. Nagpal said she has requested that the notional penalty be waived, calling it “impractical”, and added that the matter is under consideration.