Centre orders Gymkhana Club to vacate

The Union government has ordered the Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate its 27.3-acre premises at 2, Safdarjung Road in New Delhi by June 5, setting up a legal fight over one of Lutyens’ Delhi’s best-known institutions. The order was issued on May 22 by the Land and Development Office, or L&DO, under the Union housing ministry, according to multiple reports published on May 23. The government said the land was required for “strengthening and securing defence infrastructure” and other public purposes in what it described as a sensitive strategic zone. Club representatives told Indian media on May 23 that they would challenge the move in court. ### Which government office issued the order, and what exactly did it say? The Land and Development Office issued the directive in a May 22 communication telling the club to hand over peaceful possession by June 5. Reports citing the order said the Centre invoked a public-purpose provision in the original lease and said the property was critically required for defence infrastructure, governance needs and public security purposes. (hindustantimes.com) The 27.3-acre parcel, according to the reports, would revert to the government along with buildings, structures, lawns and fittings if the order is carried out. A copy of the communication was also marked to the local deputy commissioner of police for law-and-order arrangements during the takeover, Hindustan Times and other outlets reported. (hindustantimes.com) ### Why is this patch of land in Delhi so sensitive? The property sits at 2, Safdarjung Road in Lutyens’ Delhi, close to the prime minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg and other central government installations. The order described the area as “highly sensitive and strategic,” according to reports that reproduced or quoted the document. (hindustantimes.com) The government’s stated reason was not club governance or membership, but land use. Business Standard and NDTV reported that officials said the site was needed to strengthen and secure defence-related infrastructure and to meet urgent institutional requirements. (telanganatoday.com) ### What is Delhi Gymkhana Club, and how old is it? Delhi Gymkhana Club says on its website that it moved to its present location on July 3, 1913, when it was called the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, and that Spencer Harcourt Butler was its first president. The club describes itself as one of the oldest clubs in India. The club’s sporting portal says the institution was allotted 27.3 acres in Lutyens’ Delhi under a perpetual lease signed in 1928. (business-standard.com) That history has been central to the latest dispute because the government is now relying on the lease terms to resume possession for public purpose, according to reports on the order. (delhigymkhana.org.in) ### How has the club responded? Delhi Gymkhana Club said on May 23 that it would move court against the eviction order. Moneycontrol and ABP News reported club representatives as saying they would challenge the Centre’s action rather than surrender the premises without a legal contest. (delhigymkhana.allsport.in) No detailed court filing was publicly available in the reporting reviewed, and the club’s website did not carry a public statement on the order as of May 23. The immediate dispute, as described in the reports, is over whether the government can enforce re-entry on the current timeline. ### What happens on June 5 if nothing changes before then? (moneycontrol.com) June 5 is the deadline set in the L&DO order for handing over possession of the Safdarjung Road premises. Reports said the government warned that if the club did not comply, possession could be taken in accordance with law. (delhigymkhana.org.in) Any next move is likely to come from the courts before that date. The named parties in the next step are the Delhi Gymkhana Club, which has said it will challenge the order, and the Land and Development Office, which issued the notice fixing June 5 for takeover. (moneycontrol.com) (thebarbulletin.com)