The ongoing controversy surrounding the Delhi Gymkhana Club has reignited a larger debate over India’s elite colonial-era clubs and institutions that sit on prime public land, enjoy legacy privileges and often face accusations of exclusivity, inherited membership systems and discrimination.
While the Centre’s move to evict the Delhi Gymkhana Club over unpaid dues and defence-related requirements has dominated headlines, similar questions are now being raised about other powerful clubs across the country, including Mumbai’s Breach Candy Club and Delhi Golf Club.
Delhi Gymkhana Club: Eviction battle sparks wider debate
The spotlight first turned to the Delhi Gymkhana Club after the Centre asked the institution to vacate its 27.3-acre property in Lutyens’ Delhi by June 5. The government cited the need to strengthen defence infrastructure and also pointed to massive pending dues after lease rentals were revised retrospectively.
The club, one of Delhi’s most prestigious colonial-era institutions, has challenged the move in the Delhi High Court. Authorities reportedly demanded over Rs 47 crore in dues after revising lease rent based on current institutional land rates.
The case has since evolved into a larger political and public conversation over whether elite clubs occupying valuable public land should continue enjoying heavily subsidised access and special status.
Breach Candy Club: Colonial rules still alive?
As the debate intensified, RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka drew attention to another iconic institution – Mumbai’s Breach Candy Club.
Officially known as the Breach Candy Swimming Bath Trust, the club traces its roots back to the colonial era and has long been associated with Mumbai’s elite circles.
Goenka sparked outrage online after claiming that despite India’s independence, Indians are still barred from serving on the club’s Trust Committee.
“Mumbai never tires of talking about inclusivity and progress. Yet a few decades ago, Indians were not allowed membership at Breach Candy Club, Mumbai. Astonishingly, even today, no Indian can be on its Trust Committee – only a European living in Mumbai is allowed,” Goenka wrote on X.
He also pointed out the irony that the prime four-acre seafront plot in South Mumbai itself belongs to the Maharashtra government. The post quickly went viral, with many social media users expressing shock that colonial-era structures and rules allegedly continue to survive within some of India’s most exclusive institutions.
Delhi Golf Club: Prime land, elite access and repeated controversies
Even as the Gymkhana Club remains under scrutiny, attention has also shifted to another powerful institution in the heart of the national capital: the Delhi Golf Club (DGC).
Spread across nearly 179 acres of prime land in Lutyens’ Delhi, the DGC is among India’s most influential private clubs and has long been viewed as a networking hub for bureaucrats, politicians, diplomats and business elites.
Located near India Gate, Humayun’s Tomb and Lodhi Garden, the golf club occupies land whose estimated value ran into tens of thousands of crores even over a decade ago.
The land was originally allotted for promoting golf in the national capital, but critics argue the club has increasingly become synonymous with privilege, exclusivity and elite social networking rather than sporting development.
Membership controversies and inherited privilege
The Delhi Golf Club’s membership system has often come under criticism for allegedly functioning like an inherited privilege network.
Reports suggest the club inducts only around 60 to 70 permanent members annually, leaving ordinary applicants waiting for decades. In some cases, membership applications dating back to the 1970s reportedly remain pending.
Meanwhile, children and dependents of existing members enjoy easier access through reserved categories and priority pathways into permanent membership.
Critics say the structure effectively allows membership to pass through generations, reinforcing exclusivity and limiting access to ordinary sports enthusiasts or professional golfers.
The club has also faced allegations that aspiring golf athletes often struggle to access facilities despite the land originally being allotted for sporting development.
Also, getting into India’s elite colonial-era clubs often requires not just influence and wealth, but also extraordinary patience. Membership at the Delhi Gymkhana Club in Lutyens’ Delhi reportedly costs between Rs 22 lakh and Rs 30 lakh upfront, with applicants facing waiting periods ranging from 15 to nearly 40 years depending on their category and references.
The Delhi Golf Club charges around Rs 30 lakh for lifetime membership, apart from annual subscription fees that range between Rs 7,200 and Rs 18,000 based on age and residency status.
Questions over land lease and subsidised access
Another major point of criticism has been the lease arrangement under which the Delhi Golf Club operates. The club sits on government-owned land leased through the Land and Development Office (L&DO). In 2012, the Union government extended the lease until 2050.
According to government data, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has received around Rs 15.54 crore in ground rent and other charges from the golf club since 2012.
Critics argue this effectively translates into extremely low rent for one of the most valuable stretches of land in India, fuelling accusations that public assets are being subsidised for the benefit of a small elite section.
Racism row that damaged Delhi Golf Club’s image
The Delhi Golf Club also faced intense national criticism in 2017 after a Khasi woman from Meghalaya alleged she was humiliated and asked to leave because her traditional jainsem attire resembled a “maid’s uniform”. The incident triggered outrage across the Northeast and sparked a larger national debate around racism, class prejudice and discrimination faced by Northeastern communities in metropolitan spaces.
Political leaders, activists and civil society groups condemned the incident, while the Meghalaya State Women’s Commission also intervened.
The controversy significantly damaged the club’s public image, turning it into a symbol of the perceived elitism and cultural insensitivity associated with some of India’s exclusive institutions.