Centre orders resumption of Delhi Gymkhana Club premises, directs handover by June 5

PT News
New Delhi, May 23

The Centre on Saturday moved to take back the possession of one of India’s oldest and most-coveted clubs, the Delhi Gymkhana, citing purposes of national security and defence. The Ministry of Urban Affairs has written to the club management to return possession of the 27.3-acre area by June 5 – a move the Club Governing Body is currently discussing in an emergency meeting called at 5 PM. The Ministry of Urban Affairs, in a communication to the Secretary of the Delhi Gymkhana Club, has stated that the premises, a 27.3-acre property, was originally leased to the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd., later renamed Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd., for maintaining a social and sporting club.

The Centre invoked Clause 4 of the lease deed, which authorises the lessor (the Centre) to re-enter the leased premises if the land is required for a public purpose. Exercising these powers, the Centre stated that the President of India, acting through the Land and Development Office, has terminated the lease and ordered the immediate re-entry of the property. This means the Centre, which had leased the land to the club, can now reclaim possession and resume control of the property.

The order effectively revives the long-running tussle between the Centre and the elite club over the status and control of the property, which has historically been linked to the government through lease arrangements dating back to the post-Independence period. Officials said the government has invoked its powers of “reentry and resumption” under the terms governing the land allotment. The communication directs the club management to peacefully vacate and hand over possession of the premises within the stipulated timeline. Located in the heart of New Delhi near key government and diplomatic establishments, the Delhi Gymkhana Club occupies one of the capital’s most high-value and strategically sensitive land parcels.