Allahabad HC refers IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal for criminal contempt

The Allahabad High Court has referred the conduct of senior IAS officer and Devipatan Divisional Commissioner Durga Shakti Nagpal to the court dealing with criminal contempt after a civil judge alleged she attempted to influence and intimidate her over a phone call regarding a pending land suit in Gonda.

Civil Judge Shabina Khan told the district judge that Nagpal called her on July 15, 2026 while she was on leave and asked how long she would stay away, saying she was a senior IAS officer and threatening to complain to the High Court. The judge said the tone amounted to undue pressure. Nagpal said she only called to check on the judge's leave status because the case, pending since 1997, involved land needed for her office building, and she did not discuss the case.

Justice Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi said the tone gave a direct impression the presiding officer was being influenced and that courts cannot ignore insulting language used against a judicial officer. The district judge had already transferred the suit to another court, but the High Court directed the matter be placed before the appropriate contempt bench after directions from the chief justice.