Delhi Gymkhana Club eviction row: Delhi High Court issues notice to Centre
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the Centre's response to petitions filed by the Delhi Gymkhana Club and its Staff Welfare Association against eviction
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the Centre's response to petitions filed by the Delhi Gymkhana Club and its Staff Welfare Association against eviction proceedings initiated over the century-old club's premises in Lutyens' Delhi. The petitions challenge a 29 June show-cause notice issued by the Estate Officer under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. The notice asked the club to explain why an eviction order should not be issued, stating that its continued occupation of the 27.3-acre Safdarjung Road property amounts to "unauthorised occupation" after the expiry of its lease. The High Court issued notice to the Centre and listed the matter for hearing on 28 July.
According to the Centre, the club's lease expired on 22 May, following which it exercised its right of re-entry under the lease deed. The government has argued that the land is required for defence infrastructure, public security, governance infrastructure, and other public-purpose projects. The 29 June notice also warned that if the club failed to respond by 7 July, the eviction proceedings could continue ex parte. A long-running legal battle The latest proceedings are part of an ongoing dispute between the Centre and one of Delhi's oldest and most exclusive private clubs. On 22 May, the Land and Development Office (L&DO) directed the club to vacate the premises by 5 June, invoking the “public purpose” clause in the original lease deed.
The club subsequently approached the Delhi High Court to challenge the government's decision. Also Read | How Agentic AI Is Changing Education In India | Techcetra During the earlier hearing, the Centre assured the court that it would not carry out a forcible eviction and would follow the due process laid down under the Public Premises Act, including issuing prior notice. Based on that assurance, the High Court declined to issue a stay of the government's notice. The dispute later widened to include the adjoining Jaipur Polo Ground. While hearing a related case, the court questioned the Centre's move to reclaim open spaces in Lutyens' Delhi, expressing concern over the shrinking green cover in the national capital.
However, after the government took physical possession of the Jaipur Polo Ground in June, the court declined to issue a stay on its use. Established in 1913, the Delhi Gymkhana Club is among the capital's most prestigious private institutions and has long counted senior bureaucrats, military officers, diplomats, and business leaders among its members.
The BriefWire