The Center has initiated fresh eviction proceedings against the Delhi Gymkhana Club in Lutyens Delhi by issuing a show-cause notice under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, barely a month after the Delhi High Court assured that any eviction would be done only in accordance with law and after prior notice. The case is now scheduled to be heard on July 28.
A member of the legal team representing the club told HT on Wednesday that the new notice, issued on June 29, will be challenged in the Supreme Court. Officials of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), under which the Land and Development Office (L&DO) and the Estates Directorate operate, did not respond to requests for comment.
In the latest notice, a club representative was required to appear before the Property Officer on or before July 7 and explain why eviction proceedings should not proceed in accordance with the previous eviction order. In the absence of a response from the club, the notice stated that the matter could be decided unilaterally.
The June 29 notice states that because the lease expired on May 22 and the government has exercised its right of return under section 4, continued occupation of the club now amounts to “unauthorized occupation” under section 2(g) of the Public Buildings Act. It reiterates that land is needed for defense infrastructure, public security, governance infrastructure and other projects of public interest.
On May 22, the L&DO directed the century-old club to vacate its 27.3-acre premises at Safdarjung Road by June 5, stating that the land was required for “urgent institutional needs, governance infrastructure and public interest projects”. The government relied on the “public purpose” clause in the original lease.
The club then moved the Delhi High Court, which on May 26 refused to stay the notification after Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, assured the court that there would be no forced takeover and that any eviction would be carried out only after prior notice and in accordance with the procedure laid down under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act.
The controversy later expanded to include the neighboring Jaipur Polo Ground. On June 9, while hearing a petition filed by the Indian Polo Association (IPA), the Supreme Court questioned the Centre’s move to reclaim several open spaces in Lutyens’ Delhi.
“What will you do with all these heritage structures?… Will you put up 20-storey buildings?… We will all suffocate and die,” Justice Neena Bansal Krishna observed, expressing concern over the shrinking green spaces in the national capital.
However, on June 13, the Center took possession of the 15.2-acre Jaipur Polo Ground, following which the Supreme Court refused to stay its use, stating that the government had already taken physical possession.
Evacuation measures were also carried out at Bhai Ram informal settlement on June 15, one of three informal settlements located in the high-security Safdarjung Road-Lok Kalyan Marg area surrounding the Prime Minister’s residence.
