Centre Orders Delhi Gymkhana Handover

The Union government has told the Delhi Gymkhana Club to hand over its 27.3-acre premises at 2, Safdarjung Road by June 5, escalating a long-running confrontation over one of the capital’s most exclusive institutions. The order was issued on May 22 by the Land & Development Office, or L&DO, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. (ndtv.com) It says the land, in Lutyens’ Delhi next to the prime minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, is needed for “strengthening and securing defence infrastructure” and other public security purposes. The notice says the lease stands terminated with immediate effect and that the property will vest in the President of India through the L&DO. ### Why is the government able to ask for the land back? (ndtv.com) Clause 4 of the original lease deed is the government’s legal basis for the move. The L&DO said the land had originally been leased to the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd., now Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd., for the specific purpose of maintaining a social and sporting club. Under that clause, the government said it could determine the lease and re-enter the property if the land was required for a public purpose. The May 22 letter states that, after re-entry, the entire 27.3-acre plot — including buildings, structures, lawns and fittings — “shall vest absolutely” in the lessor. The order also says that if the club does not hand over “peaceful possession” on June 5, the government will take possession “in accordance with law.” A copy was marked to the deputy commissioner of police for law-and-order arrangements during the takeover, Hindustan Times reported. (ndtv.com) ### Why is this particular site being described as strategic? The government’s notice describes the property as being in a “highly sensitive and strategic area” of Delhi. The club sits on Safdarjung Road in the core of Lutyens’ Delhi and adjacent to the prime minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg. (ndtv.com) The L&DO said the land was also needed for “urgent institutional needs, governance infrastructure and public-interest projects,” linked with the resumption of adjoining government land. Those are the reasons set out in the order itself. The government has not, in the material reviewed, publicly detailed what specific defence or security infrastructure it plans to place on the site. (ndtv.com) ### What exactly is Delhi Gymkhana Club? Delhi Gymkhana Club says on its website that it is one of the oldest clubs in India and that it moved to its present location on July 3, 1913, when it was called the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club. After Independence, it dropped “Imperial” from its name. The club has long been known as a members-only social and sporting institution in the capital’s power center. The 27.3-acre site itself was allotted on a perpetual lease in 1928, according to reporting by Hindustan Times and material associated with the club. (ndtv.com) That combination — a colonial-era institution, prime public land and a perpetual lease — has made the property unusually visible whenever the government has scrutinized central Delhi land use. ### Has the club already been in a dispute with the government? The National Company Law Tribunal on April 1, 2022, allowed the central government to nominate 15 people to manage the affairs of Delhi Gymkhana Club, citing material that it said showed mismanagement. That intervention followed a petition by the Union government over the club’s governance. (delhigymkhana.org.in) The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal in October 2024 upheld that takeover of management and maintained government oversight, according to legal and news reports. The current land-resumption order is separate from that corporate-governance fight, but it comes after years of litigation and state intervention involving the club. (hindustantimes.com) ### What has the club said in response? Siddharth, identified by PTI as a member of the Delhi Gymkhana Club, said the club would challenge the order through an appeal. He said there was “no security threat or any such concern” linked to the premises and said the observations in the order should be reconsidered. (legal.economictimes.indiatimes.com) He also said the club would comply if directed by a court. Financial Express reported that nearly 600 workers, including gardeners, servers and maintenance staff, were left uncertain about their future after the order. The government notice itself focuses on land use and security, not on transition arrangements for staff or club operations after June 5. (scconline.com) ### What happens on June 5? June 5, 2026, is the date named in the L&DO order for possession of the property. The notice says the office’s representatives will take over the premises that day, and that non-compliance will trigger possession proceedings under law. (ndtv.com) Any immediate next step is likely to come either from the club in court or from the L&DO at the site. As of the material reviewed on May 24, the government’s order remained in place and the club’s stated response was to appeal before the June 5 handover date. (ndtv.com) (financialexpress.com)