To petition the court challenging the Centre’s order directing the Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate its Delhi Lutyens’ premises by June 5, members of the historic club on Sunday launched a signature campaign to allow legal action against the move.
Brigadier Harinder Pal Bedi (retd), a long-time member of Delhi Gymkhana, said the members met on Sunday and signed a mandate letter to file a petition against the order on Monday.
“Many club members have signed the petition and more are expected to sign it by tonight. The club has been an important part of our lives for decades and it has come as a shock to many of us,” Bedi said.
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The Delhi Gymkhana, where the city’s elite and elite have been coexisting for nearly a century, is eyeing a possible closure as the Center asks it to return its sprawling 27.3-acre space by June 5 on the grounds of “secure defense infrastructure”.
The club said it received a notice on May 22 from the Land and Development Office (L&DO) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, seeking “re-entry and resumption” of the 27.3-acre plot, which is located at 2 Safdarjung Road, next to the Prime Minister’s Residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.
General BK Sehgal (retd), who has been associated with the club since 1972, said the members unanimously decided to legally challenge the eviction order.
“Many former Presidents of India, senior military officers, politicians and bureaucrats have been members of Delhi Gymkhana over the years. It is one of the most prestigious clubs in Delhi and the sudden decision to take it back has raised concerns among members about its future and where the club will be shifted to,” he said.
In its order, L&DO said the site falls within a highly sensitive and strategic area and is urgently needed for institutional and governance purposes.
“The entire plot of land, along with all buildings, structures, lawns and facilities, will revert to the government upon re-entry and is scheduled to be taken over on June 5,” she added.
Originally founded on July 3, 1913, as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, the institution was created to serve colonial administrators and military officers.
The word ‘imperial’ was dropped after India gained independence in 1947, while the existing buildings were constructed in the 1930s.
