The Centre invoking a public purpose clause in the original lease deed has asked Gymkhana Club to hand over its 27.3-acre premises at 2, Safdarjung Road to the Land & Development Office (L&DO) by June 5.
The order signed by deputy land and development officer Suchit Goyal, describes the premises located adjacent to the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg as falling within a “highly sensitive and strategic area” of the capital and says they are critically required for strengthening defense infrastructure and public security purposes.
The club was founded in 1913 as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, renamed after Independence and is today among the country’s oldest elite institutional clubs. Upon the handover, the entire plot, along with all buildings, standing erections, structures, lawns, and fittings, shall vest absolutely with the President of India. Should the club fail to comply by the deadline, possession will be taken in accordance with law, as per the order.
The recent order is being seen as the finale of a long-standing governance dispute that has been building for years. The club was allotted the plot at Safdarjung Road in 1928 on a perpetual lease, for the specific purpose of maintaining a social and sporting club. In April 2022, the National Company Law Tribunal cited mismanagement and allowed the ministry of corporate affairs to nominate directors to the club’s general committee
The Unfolding Debate
From the government’s standpoint, the land legally belongs to the state and was only leased to Delhi Gymkhana Club under specific conditions. Authorities argue that the lease terms were violated and that the Centre has the legal authority to re-enter and reclaim the property. The intervention by the National Company Law Tribunal over governance issues further strengthened the government’s justification.
From critics’ perspective, the move appears aggressive because the government is reclaiming a prestigious historic institution occupying prime land in New Delhi through administrative action, despite the club’s long legacy. Those opposing the takeover argue that the state is using security and governance arguments to take control of valuable urban land.
This is not the only order that has been passed to acquire the legacy land. In a similar move earlier, the premises of news agency United News of India at 9, Rafi Marg was sealed upon the cancellation of its land allotment on technicalities of the lease conditions. Around the same time, L&DO had issued eviction notices to slum clusters near PM house residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, formerly Race Course Road, citing security concerns.
The larger issue, however, extends beyond one club, one office or one locality. Across Indian cities, the tension between legacy and redevelopment is becoming more visible. The eventual judicial outcome will likely shape how India balances heritage with state authority in the years ahead.
Since the dispute is expected to be challenged judicially by the Club, the legality of the takeover has not yet been conclusively determined. Until then the debate remains layered rather than binary.
At the centre of the controversy lies a deeper question: who ultimately controls India’s most influential spaces — legacy elite institutions or the political establishment?
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