Why does Centre want Delhi's Jaipur Polo Ground and what is its legal argument?
Govt cites expired lease and need for strategic redevelopment in its power centre; as IPA fights back, HC questions eviction drive against heritage institutions
The Delhi High Court’s fierce pushback on Monday (June 8) came as a breather to the three premier colonial-era institutions in Lutyens’ Delhi facing the Centre’s eviction notices.
After the Delhi Gymkhana Club and Delhi Race Club, the Indian Polo Association (IPA) moved high court against the eviction notice served by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) for the Jaipur Polo Ground on May 20.
The eviction is part of a broader drive by the Centre to reclaim nearly 100 acres of premium, high-security land from these three colonial-era social and sporting institutions, which are all located in the same neighbourhood—off Kamal Ataturk Road / Safdarjung Road and a stone’s throw from the official address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Lok Kalyan Marg.
But why does the Centre want the polo ground and what legal argument does it have to take it over?
Centre’s argument
The Centre’s argument for the attempt to take over the 15.2-acre Jaipur Polo Ground is to utilize the prime land for “larger public purpose”, administrative governance, and defence infrastructure requirements. The property is administered through the L&DO under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
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First, the government claims that the official lease given to the IPA expired way back in 1993. Consequently, the Centre has classified the association as an “unauthorised occupant”.
Government counsel Ashish Dixit stated in court that space in Central Delhi is heavily constrained and the government requires the land to carry out essential governmental functions and build crucial institutional infrastructure.
Because these premium properties flank highly sensitive zones close to the Prime Minister’s residence, the government has cited strategic redevelopment and defence infrastructure as driving factors behind the takeover.
The Centre has also argued that the massive tract of public land should not be restricted to exclusive use by a small elite circle when it can be repositioned for national and public benefit.
Jaipur Polo Ground: History of land lease
The land lease history of the Jaipur Polo Ground spans nearly a century, tracking the transformation of Lutyens’ Delhi from a princely estate into India’s high-security administrative capital.
Royal fift (pre-Independence): The 15.2-acre parcel originally belonged to the Jaipur Estate in Delhi, owned by the late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh 2 of Jaipur. Following Independence, the Maharaja officially gifted this premium tract of land to the newly formed Union of India.
The 1930 original lease: The land was first leased out by the British-Indian government in 1930 to the erstwhile Delhi Polo Club.
The 1951 lease deed: Following the post-Independence restructuring of Delhi, a formal lease deed was drafted in 1951. Under Clause 3 of this deed, the lease could only be terminated by the government giving a mandatory six-month advance notice. Unlike the Delhi Gymkhana Club, which holds a perpetual lease, the Jaipur Polo Ground lease has no provision for financial compensation to the club if the lease is terminated.
The 1980s structural shifts: In 1983, the L&DO altered the agreement terms to mandate government oversight. The Centre reserved the right to appoint two government nominees to the club's working committee with full voting rights to monitor land management.
In 1984, the IPA officially took over the administration of the ground, inheriting the conditions of the lease.
The final extension of the lease officially ended on March 31, 1993. However, the IPA claims it paid a total ground rent of Rs 30,400 for a five-year period ending March 31, 2030, in April 2025.
IPA’s argument
The IPA has launched a multi-pronged defence to block the government’s eviction machinery.
First, it has argued that it cannot be treated as an ordinary private occupant and pointed out that the government accepted its ground rent as recently as April 2025 (covering a period up to 2030), signalling a regularisation of its tenancy.
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The IPA has also pointed out a procedural failure in the lower judiciary. After the government’s Estate Officer issued the eviction order on May 20, the IPA immediately filed for a stay at the Patiala House District Courts. However, the lower court failed to grant an urgent interim hearing, delaying the matter.
In response to the Centre’s claim that a 15.2-acre space cannot be locked up for a few hundred elite individuals, the IPA has emphasized its status as a century-old historical sporting body (founded in 1892) that protects India’s equestrian heritage.
Delhi HC’s intervention
But the most significant pushback came from the Delhi High Court itself. The Bench, headed by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, has turned the case into a referendum on Delhi’s urban survival.
Expressing horror at the thought of high-rise administrative buildings replacing open fields, Justice Krishna stated on Monday: “We have a little breather in the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council) area. It is also going away and all of us are going to suffocate and die.”
The court openly challenged the government lawyers, asking point blank what they intended to do with the heritage properties. “What are you going to do? Make 20-storey buildings? The government never needed the land in 200 years... You have no idea how we are choking,” the Bench noted.
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The High Court did not pass a final judgment but ordered the Patiala House District and Sessions Judge to immediately conduct an urgent hearing on Wednesday (June 10) to decide if the IPA should be granted a formal stay of eviction. The government counsel has agreed not to execute any forced evictions before the end of the week.
Delhi Gymkhana Club and Race Club disputes
The Delhi Gymkhana Club, occupying a massive 27.3-acre property on Safdarjung Road, has also mounted a comprehensive legal challenge in Delhi High Court to block the government’s eviction directive. Represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the club’s legal defence focuses on constitutional violations, procedural flaws, and environmental factors.
Realizing the massive legal friction, the Centre recently assured the high court that it would not use immediate, brute force to physically take over the property while the case is argued.
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The Race Club is also digging in for a massive legal fight. Unlike the gymkhana and polo grounds, the Race Club’s defence leans heavily on immediate socio-economic impacts, highlighting that its turf houses roughly 250 horses and directly supports 5,000 local livelihoods that would be wiped out by an eviction.