Delhi High Court Tells Centre Its Plans To Seize Gymkhana, Polo Grounds Will Choke The Capital
Delhi High Court Tells Centre Its Plans To Seize Gymkhana, Polo Grounds Will Choke The Capital Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 22:57 IST
Delhi High Court Tells Centre Its Plans To Seize Gymkhana, Polo Grounds Will Choke The Capital Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 22:57 IST The Delhi High Court warned the Centre that its plans to seize the Delhi Gymkhana Club, Indian Polo Association, & Delhi Race Club, would choke the capital of its last green spaces Rapid Read On May 22, the L&DO ordered the club to hand over the land by June 5, citing strategic and defence-related needs. (File image/PTI) The Delhi High Court on Monday rebuked the Central government for issuing eviction notices to the Delhi Gymkhana Club, the Indian Polo Association, and the Delhi Race Club, with Justice Neena Bansal Krishna warning that the loss of their green spaces would leave Delhi residents gasping. The court made the remarks while hearing a plea by the Indian Polo Association against a May 20, 2026 eviction notice issued under the Public Premises Act, ordering the association to vacate the Jaipur Polo Ground in the Race Course area. “Why do you want the Polo Club? What are you going to do with all those heritage structures, even in Gymkhana? What are you going to do? Make 20-storey buildings?" Justice Krishna said from the bench. She went further: “Little breather we have in the NDMC area is also going to go. All of us are going to suffocate and die. Government never needed the land in 200 years? Only you know what you are going to make Delhi into." The Indian Polo Association had gone to the High Court because the Patiala House Court, where it had challenged the eviction notice, did not take up its stay application and simply served notices in the matter.
The High Court ultimately disposed of the plea with a direction to the Patiala House Court to decide the stay application by June 10. Central Government Standing Counsel Ashish Dixit defended the government’s position before the court, saying the land was needed for defence and public purposes and that space in central Delhi was limited. “There is no public health issue in a Polo Club where only 300 people are enjoying the facilities," he said. Justice Krishna was unmoved. “Making all high-rises is in the public interest? You look at Delhi, we have only highrises all over. God save us all if this is how you want Delhi to live. Whatever you do, you have the might, but the thing is, Delhi will choke." A Sequence Of Eviction Notices Since March The Polo Association’s troubles in court on Monday were preceded by a string of eviction moves by the Land and Development Office (L&DO), a wing of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, targeting prime Lutyens’ Delhi properties across the past three months. On March 12, 2026, the L&DO served eviction notices on both the Delhi Race Club and the Indian Polo Association. The Delhi Race Club, which has operated on approximately 53.242 acres at Kamal Ataturk Marg since a lease was first granted in 1926, challenged the notice before the Delhi High Court. Justice Mini Pushkarna, in two separate orders on March 25, restrained the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs from taking forcible possession of either property. The court said the Indian Polo Association had been in continuous possession of the Jaipur Polo Ground for over four decades and had made lease payments up to March 2030, and bound the government not to evict either entity without following due process of law.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs was directed to file its responses, and both matters were listed for further hearing on April 9. Gymkhana Club Notice & Court Proceedings The Gymkhana Club received its notice separately. On May 22, 2026, the L&DO directed the Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate and hand over its 27.3-acre premises at 2, Safdarjung Road by June 5. The government invoked Clause 4 of the original lease deed, which allows the Centre to reclaim the land if it is required for a “public purpose." The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs stated that the land was required for strengthening defence infrastructure and for other national security and governance purposes. The club, which traces its origins to 1913 when it was founded as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club under the Colonial Era, approached the Delhi High Court through Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi seeking an urgent hearing. The court heard the matter on May 26. Justice Avneesh Jhingan declined to pass any interim order staying the May 22 notice, calling the question “premature," after the Solicitor General told the court that any eviction would be carried out only after due notice and in accordance with law. The court issued summons on suits filed by a club member and the club’s Staff Welfare Association, and the matters continue. Patiala House Court To Rule On Stay By June 10 The government’s land push across the Race Course area and Lutyens’ Delhi has put several heritage institutions simultaneously into litigation. When taken together, the properties involved occupy well over 100 acres in one of the city’s most restricted zones, land that the L&DO has argued is either leased beyond its contractual term or encroached upon government land.
With the Patiala House Court now directed to rule on the Polo Association’s stay application by June 10, and the Delhi Gymkhana Club suits still at the notice stage before Justice Jhingan, the legal fight over who controls some of central Delhi’s last open green land is running on parallel tracks. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Anoshito Banerjee Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs. His reporting spans hard news... Read More First Published: June 08, 2026, 22:57 IST News india Delhi High Court Tells Centre Its Plans To Seize Gymkhana, Polo Grounds Will Choke The Capital Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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