Declared, but not disclosed: What top bureaucrats leave out of property filings

Every year, top bureaucrats in India are obligated to disclose their self-acquired immovable assets, a measure introduced in 2011 to promote transparency and curb corruption among government officials. However, a review by The Indian Express sheds light on the shortcomings of this accountability system. Of the 102 Secretary-level officials whose declarations were accessible, 244 self-acquired properties were declared, yet a significant number lacked crucial information.

Of the 244 properties declared, 115 did not specify area or dimensions, while another 115 did not provide current values. Ten officials declared "nil" self-acquired properties. The reviewed declarations of the 102 officials include 219 residential, three commercial, and 22 agricultural land parcels. Notably, 44 officials and/or their spouses own three or more self-acquired properties, with some holding as many as seven properties.

The highest earner in terms of self-acquired properties is a Secretary-rank IAS officer who has declared eight properties, including seven in Kerala and one in Meghalaya. Another Secretary-rank IAS officer holds the second spot with six properties scattered across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, including three in Mumbai and a DDA flat in New Delhi.

The officials under review comprise 95 Central government Secretaries, including those attached to the President’s Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, NITI Aayog, and Principal Scientific Adviser's Office, as well as Chief Secretaries of 28 states and eight Union Territories. The Indian Express focused solely on self-acquired assets, excluding ancestral properties.

The latest filings revealed that while 129 property values were filled in, the remaining 115 had vague entries such as "not known," "value not determined," "as per circle rate," or "no assessment made." Ten officials declared no self-acquired properties in their latest filings, with some having declared assets in earlier years but omitting them from the most recent disclosure.

Most properties are located in the Delhi-NCR region and state capitals, often acquired through cooperative housing societies like the Kendriya Vihar projects. The 131 Secretaries/Chief Secretaries and others include nine scientists, five from the Indian Foreign Service, and three from the Indian Police Service. One official heads two departments, one from the Indian Legal Service, another from the Indian Postal Service, and the rest are IAS officers, mostly from the 1989 to 1998 batches.

These officials serve under the political leadership at the center and in state governments. Under the conduct rules, each official must update their immovable assets annually by January 31, with the returns made public by March 31. The RTI Act and demands for anti-corruption measures led to this disclosure requirement in 2011, with the specific rules for filing expected to be promulgated "in due course."

However, as of October 1, 2026, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Department of Personnel and Training have not disclosed any mechanisms to verify the declarations, actions taken against officials with incomplete filings, or the status of the promised rules under Section 44 of the Lokpal Act. The Indian Express could not confirm if any consequences have been imposed on officials who failed to provide complete information in their 2025 filings.