The Jaipur Polo Ground has become the third prominent institution in Lutyens’ Delhi to move court against the Centre’s eviction move. Earlier, the Delhi Gymkhana Club and Delhi Race Club had also approached the courts over similar proceedings.
The Centre’s move to evict the Indian Polo Association (IPA) from the historic Jaipur Polo Ground in Lutyens’ Delhi has raised wider questions about the future of some of the capital’s oldest green and heritage spaces. An eviction order issued on May 20 by the estate officer under the Land and Development Office (L&DO), part of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, directed the IPA to vacate the prime land parcel located on Kamal Ataturk Road.
The government order stated that the land is required for a “larger public purpose and benefit”, but did not elaborate on what that purpose entails, Indian Express reported.
The lack of clarity has become central to the dispute, now before the Delhi High Court, where the IPA has challenged both the legality and the process of eviction.
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The Jaipur Polo Ground sits within a high-value stretch of Lutyens’ Delhi that is also home to institutions such as the Delhi Gymkhana Club and the Delhi Race Club — both of which are similarly facing eviction proceedings and have moved the courts.
According to a report by The Print, the eviction drive extended beyond elite institutions as three nearby slum clusters have also been served notices. Together, the Jaipur Polo Ground (15 acres), Delhi Race Club (53.4 acres) and Delhi Gymkhana Club (27.3 acres) occupy nearly 96 acres of prime land in Lutyens’ Delhi. Combined with the nearby areas, the total area targeted for redevelopment is almost 100 acres near the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg.
Why does the govt want prime land in Lutyens’ Delhi?
The Centre’s recent eviction push has drawn sharp responses from the Delhi High Court. During hearings on Monday, the court expressed unease over the broader implications of the Centre’s redevelopment plans for the area, particularly their potential impact on Delhi’s already fragile urban ecology.
According to the IE report, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, in oral observations, warned that removing such open spaces could worsen the city’s environmental stress. “Delhi will choke,” she remarked. Justice Krishna questioned whether replacing green areas with high-rise buildings could genuinely serve public interest. “Is it for public purposes? Making high rises, is it in the public interest? We don’t know,” the judge said, according to the IE report.
She further observed that the shrinking of green spaces that are often described as the “lungs” of the city would exacerbate pollution levels. “The small lung that we have, you want to take that away also,” she noted.
What is Centre’s argument behind eviction actions?
Appearing for the Centre, standing counsel Ashish Dixit argued that urban expansion and population growth necessitate accommodation and redevelopment. “The Polo Club, Race club and Delhi Gymkhana – the entire area is being redeveloped for public purpose. There are defence requirements, also the Air Force station is there,” he told the court.
Justice Krishna remained sceptical and questioned the timing and urgency of the government’s claim over land that has hosted such institutions for decades. “Delhi will suffocate…The little breather we have in the NDMC area, that is also going to go. All of us will suffocate and die. For all the years these have existed, the government never felt the need for the land? Did they feel the need in 200 years?” IE quoted the judge as saying.
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When pressed on specifics, Dixit said the government could not publicly disclose detailed plans. “Whatever we are going to do, the intention is for the welfare of the people,” he told the court.
The court directed that the IPA’s application before the appellate authority at Patiala House be taken up on June 10 and recorded the Centre’s assurance that no coercive action would be taken until June 12, the report further stated.
Counter arguments in the case
At the heart of the dispute is the Centre’s claim that the IPA has been in “unauthorised occupation” of the land since 1993, when its lease expired.
According to the government, the association has continued to occupy the premises without any valid lease, authority, or permission for over three decades. While the issue was first raised in 2017, proceedings did not advance at the time. The matter resurfaced this year, with a fresh eviction notice issued on March 12, followed by a show-cause notice on April 17 and the final eviction order in May.
The IPA, however, disputes this characterisation, arguing that the government’s own conduct over the years contradicts its claim of illegal occupation, IE reported.
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The association has pointed out that authorities continued to accept rent and engage with it on lease-related matters well beyond 1993. As recently as April 2025, the IPA paid Rs 30,400 as ground rent for a five-year period ending in 2030. It claimed that the payment was accepted by the government.
It also cited a 2005 demand notice of Rs 2.53 lakh, which included damages, as evidence that the Centre treated the tenancy as subsisting rather than void. In 2022, the IPA formally sought renewal of the lease from the L&DO, the report further stated.
A legacy property with nominal rent
The Jaipur Polo Ground’s history adds another layer to the dispute. Originally gifted by the Maharaja of Jaipur to the Delhi Polo Club around 1930, the land was formally leased by the Central Public Works Department in 1951 for 20 years. The lease was subsequently extended in 1971 and again in 1983, with the final extension running until March 1993.
Following the dissolution of the Delhi Polo Club in 1983, the property was transferred to the Indian Polo Association.
Since 1984, the IPA has paid a nominal ground rent of Rs 400 per acre per year, amounting to roughly Rs 6,080 annually; the rate has remained unchanged for decades, IE report stated.
Legal and policy questions
Beyond the immediate dispute, the case raises broader questions about land use, heritage preservation and urban planning in central Delhi.
The IPA has argued that it cannot be treated as a standard private occupant and falls outside the ambit of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. It has also challenged the eviction order on procedural grounds, alleging that it was passed without a fair and meaningful hearing.
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Crucially, the absence of a clearly articulated “public purpose” in the eviction order has emerged as a key legal vulnerability for the government.
At the same time, the Centre’s broader redevelopment push across Lutyens’ suggests a coordinated effort to repurpose high-value land parcels in the heart of the capital.
Whether that effort withstands judicial scrutiny may depend on how convincingly the government can justify both the necessity and the nature of its plans. The dispute hearing also holds importance as it could set the tone for similar battles involving some of Delhi’s most iconic institutions and open spaces.
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