Why in news?

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' Land and Development Office (L&DO) wrote to the Delhi Gymkhana Club asking it to vacate its 27.3-acre leased premises on Safdarjung Road by June 5, 2026 — citing the need for defence infrastructure.

The decision has triggered a major controversy, leading to legal challenges in the Delhi High Court. Recently, the HC recorded Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's assurance that due process of law will be followed for eviction.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• History of the Delhi Gymkhana Club
• How is Land Administered in Delhi?
• The Current Controversy — Eviction Notice
• Impact of the Eviction
• Legal Position and What Lies Ahead

History of the Delhi Gymkhana Club

• The Delhi Gymkhana Club has a colonial legacy spanning over a century. It was founded in July 1913 — shortly after the British Indian government decided to shift the capital from Kolkata to Delhi in 1911.
• The land was leased by the government to the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club in February 1928 and the buildings were constructed in the 1930s.
• The club was designed by architect Robert T Russell — who also designed Connaught Place and the Commander-in-Chief's residence (later known as Teen Murti, the residence of PM Jawaharlal Nehru).
• Crucially, the lease was perpetual — meaning no fixed time frame was attached to it, though other conditions applied.
• Originally meant exclusively for British officials, the club was renamed Delhi Gymkhana Club after Independence and became a gathering space for members of the Indian bureaucracy, judiciary, and armed forces.
• It is located at 2, Safdarjung Road, New Delhi — immediately next to the Prime Minister's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.
• Since 2022, the club has been run by a government-appointed general committee on the orders of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
  • This was after the Corporate Affairs Ministry approached the NCLT alleging the club was being run in violation of norms and mishandled.
  • The club is a registered company under the Companies Act, 1956.

How is Land Administered in Delhi?

• After 1947, the Union government administers land in Delhi through the Land and Development Office (L&DO) — under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• L&DO allots land for residential colonies, institutions, clubs, political parties, etc., and administers leases. Leases can be either:
  • Fixed period leases — such as 99-year leases.
  • Perpetual leases — with no fixed end date but subject to conditions.
• The lessee pays a fixed ground rent, which can be periodically revised as per lease conditions.
• Leasehold vs Freehold
  • Over the years, L&DO has converted many residential properties from leasehold to freehold — granting owners full property rights.
  • As per a CAG report (2021), out of approximately 60,000 properties on L&DO land, around 35,000 had been converted from leasehold to freehold by 2021.

The Current Controversy — Eviction Notice

• The L&DO's letter cited Clause 4 of the Lease Deed — which allows the government to "re-enter" the land for a "public purpose".
• The government stated that the 27.3-acre plot is critically required for "strengthening and securing Defence infrastructure and other vital public security purposes" — describing the location as a highly sensitive and strategic area of Delhi.
• The L&DO formally declared the lease determined (terminated) and ordered re-entry of the premises with immediate effect — through the authority of the President of India.
• The Larger Plan
  • Significantly, the club's land is adjacent to the Prime Minister's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.
  • The L&DO letter also refers to "resumption of adjoining government lands" — pointing to the simultaneous clearing of slums on Race Course Road of encroachments.
  • This suggests a larger integrated plan to free up the entire surrounding area for defence or governance infrastructure purposes.

Impact of the Eviction

• The club's general committee — which met on May 23 — wrote to the L&DO requesting "no dislocation of the club", citing the impact on:
  • 14,000 club members who have been paying fees regularly.
  • 500 employees whose livelihoods depend on the club's operations.

Legal Position and What Lies Ahead

• The eviction notice has triggered multiple legal challenges in the Delhi High Court.
• The HC, recently, recorded the Solicitor General's assurance that due process of law will be followed and declined to issue further directions — keeping the matter sub judice.
• The legal question at the heart of the dispute is whether the government's invocation of Clause 4 (public purpose re-entry) on a perpetual lease is legally valid and whether adequate notice and compensation provisions have been followed.