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A day after a Delhi court refused to grant a stay on the eviction of the Jaipur Polo Ground and asked the Centre to file a response to a plea filed by the Indian Polo Association challenging the eviction order, the Centre’s land and development office (L&DO) on Saturday took possession of the 15-acre land parcel.
“We have taken possession of the land and sealed the premises. There is no permanent structure in this site,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
The next course of action regarding the use of the land will be decided by higher authorities, the official said.
On Friday, a vacation bench of judge Dhirendra Rana of the Patiala House Courts said, “Keeping in view the judicial discipline and proprietary, I am not inclined to stay the execution of impugned order even till next date”.
The court was hearing a petition moved by the Indian Polo Association (IPA), challenging an eviction order issued on May 20, which directed the vacation of the 15.20-acre Jaipur Polo Grounds by June 4.
The court directed the Centre to file a response to the appeal, as well as the application moved under Section 9(3) of the Public Premises (Eviction of unauthorised occupants) Act, 1971, before the next hearing, scheduled for June 17.
The district court was hearing the matter after it was sent back for adjudication by the Delhi High Court, which, on June 8, had disposed of the petition with a direction to the district and sessions judge to decide on the IPA’s application for a stay on the eviction notice by June 10.
The Jaipur Polo Ground is among a series of high-profile properties that the Centre has sought to reclaim in recent months. The exercise follows action against the United News of India (UNI) premises and the Delhi Gymkhana Club, both of which occupy government-owned land in central Delhi.
Government authorities have maintained that the land is required for public purposes and strategic requirements. Occupants, meanwhile, have argued that the properties serve important institutional, sporting and heritage functions and should not be treated as ordinary leasehold assets.
Representatives of the IPA said they will take the matter up in the appropriate forum.
“As the matter is presently pending adjudication before the Hon’ble High Court and legal proceedings are actively underway, it would be inappropriate for the Association to comment further at this stage. The association’s legal position shall be duly articulated before the appropriate forum in accordance with law,” Major Nirvikar Singh, counsel for IPA, said.
On June 8, the Delhi High Court, while hearing the IPA’s plea, questioned the Centre’s move to take over nearly 200-year-old properties, including the iconic Delhi Gymkhana Club, Delhi Race Club, and Jaipur Polo Grounds, purportedly for “public purpose”.
A vacation bench of justice Neena Bansal Krishna had observed that the heritage and open spaces served as a vital “breather” for Delhi residents in a city grappling with pollution, and replacing them with high-rise structures could cause the Capital to “suffocate” and eventually, render it unfit for its inhabitants.
“What are you going to do with all these heritage structures? Even Gymkhana is a heritage structure. What are you going to do? Make 20-storey buildings? Delhi will suffocate. You do all that you want to. [That area] is a little breather we have. That is all also going to go. All of us will suffocate and die,” the court had said.
Arnabjit Sur is a Senior Correspondent with Hindustan Times' Legal Bureau. He covers Delhi's district courts. Previously, he has covered crime in the city.
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