The Union government has taken the next step in its dispute with the Delhi Gymkhana Club by issuing a formal eviction notice. The notice, sent on Monday, was issued under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupant) Act, 1971. It directs a representative of the club to appear before the Land and Development Office on July 7 for a hearing, the Indian Express reported.
According to the Centre, the club’s continued presence at 2, Safdarjung Road became “unauthorised” once its lease expired on May 22. The notice describes the 27.3-acre property as valuable public land vested in the Union of India, adding that the government is obligated to regulate and utilise such assets in line with public interest.
The Indian Express report quoted the letter as stating, “Despite lawful determination of the lease and despite being called upon to hand over possession, the respondent failed to vacate the premises and continues in occupation thereof…Because valuable government land situated in the National Capital cannot be permitted to remain under unauthorised occupation contrary to governmental determination and larger public interest.”
The move follows an earlier directive from the Land and Development Office, asking the club to vacate the premises. Monday’s notice is being seen as a firmer legal step in that process.
Govt reclaiming land for ‘defence requirements’
The dispute is not isolated to the Gymkhana Club alone. The government has separately been pursuing land near Kamal Ataturk Road that is currently occupied by the Delhi Gymkhana Club, the Delhi Race Club and the Jaipur Polo Ground.
Centre’s standing counsel Ashish Dixit during a hearing of a related petition in the Delhi High Court defended the government’s action. Dixit told the court that the land was needed for public purposes, facilitating redevelopment and meeting certain defence-related requirements.