Members of the Delhi Gymkhana Club are petitioning the Delhi High Court to challenge a central government order to vacate their premises [1].
The legal battle centers on one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the capital. A government takeover of the club would displace a historic social institution and jeopardize the livelihoods of its employees.
The dispute involves the club's 27.3-acre campus located on Safdarjung Road in the Lutyens-era district of New Delhi [3]. The central government issued an eviction notice requiring the club to vacate the property by June 5, 2024 [1]. Reports indicate the government intends to take over the land for defense-related purposes [4, 5].
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing member Vijay Khurana in the filing [1, 2]. The Delhi High Court agreed to hear the petition on May 26, 2024 [2].
While the legal challenge focuses on the rights of the members, the club's staff expressed fear regarding their employment. "We do not know how we will sustain our families now," one anonymous staff member said [5].
The club is a landmark of the Lutyens zone, an area characterized by high-security government housing and embassies. The sudden nature of the eviction notice has sparked mixed reactions across the city, ranging from those who view the takeover as long overdue to those who see it as a tragic loss of heritage [4].
“The central government issued an eviction notice requiring the club to vacate the property by June 5, 2024.”
This case highlights the tension between private institutional land use and national security requirements in New Delhi's high-security zone. A ruling against the club would set a precedent for the government's ability to reclaim Lutyens-era properties for defense purposes, potentially affecting other historic leases in the district.
