Centre Takes Possession Of Jaipur Polo Ground In Delhi

Officials of the Land and Development Office on Saturday took physical possession of the 15.20-acre Jaipur Polo Ground in the Race Course area of the national capital, after the Indian Polo Association (IPA), which manages the prestigious facility, failed to get relief from courts on an eviction notice by the Centre.

The IPA termed the eviction “wrongful, arbitrary and contrary to law”, and said it would pursue all available legal remedies to safeguard its rights and interests.

The May 20 eviction order of the Land and Development Office (L&DO), under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, sought possession of the land parcel, citing its need for a “larger public purpose”. The order, however, offered no details about the intended use of the land.

On Saturday, central government officials pasted a notice on the front wall of the historic Jaipur Polo Ground, saying, “This land is the property of the Land & Development Office (L&DO), Government of India.” “Any kind of unauthorised occupation, encroachment, construction, or any other illegal activity on this land is a punishable offence under the law.

“Persons engaging in such acts shall be subject to penal and legal action in accordance with the applicable laws,” the notice stated.

The dispute pertains to the Jaipur Polo Ground, situated in Lutyens’ Delhi, that has long been regarded as one of India’s oldest polo grounds. The Centre has informed the courts that the land occupied by the polo ground and nearby establishments, including the iconic Delhi Gymkhana Club, is proposed to be taken over for public purposes.

For generations, the Jaipur Polo Ground has hosted some of the country’s biggest tournaments and remained closely associated with a sporting tradition that traces its roots to India’s princely era.

On June 8, the Delhi High Court asked a district court to decide on a plea by the Indian Polo Association (IPA) seeking a stay on the eviction notice.

However, the district court refused to grant interim relief against the order.

On Friday, Additional Sessions Judge Dhirender Rana also declined relief to IPA on its application filed under Section 9(3) of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, seeking a stay on the enforcement and execution of the eviction order by the central government.

In its order posted online on Saturday, the court said, “A similar kind of request was moved before the Learned Principal District and Sessions Judge, PHC and Delhi High Court, and no relief was granted to the appellant. Therefore, keeping in view judicial discipline and propriety, I am not inclined to stay the execution of the impugned order even till next date”.

The court, however, directed the Union government to file replies to the appeal and the stay application and listed the matter before the vacation judge on June 17.

“As the matter is sub judice and ongoing, the Association does not propose to comment further at this stage,” said IPA counsel, Major (Retd) Nirvikar Singh.

The ground was gifted by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II to the Delhi Polo Club around 1930 and went on to become one of the most prominent centres for the sport in the national capital.

“Sawai Man Singh II is widely regarded as one of the greatest polo players of his era and the Jaipur Polo Team under his leadership dominated the sport through much of the early and mid-20th century,” Nirvikar Singh said.

In 1983, the IPA, recognised as the national governing body for the sport, took over the management and possession of the venue.

The IPA has cited a November 30, 1992, communication which, it says, reaffirmed the decision to renew the lease and stated that from April 1, 1993, extensions would be granted on a yearly basis until the ground shifted to an alternative site.

The association also says it deposited Rs 30,400 as ground rent in April 2025 for the period ending March 31, 2030, and that the payment was accepted through the government’s online portal.

The government’s position, however, is that the lease expired in March 1993 and that the association has been occupying the land without authority since then.

In the Gymkhana Club matter, its members had approached the Delhi High Court, which on May 26 took note of the Centre’s submission that it would not take forcible possession of the colonial-era club by June 5 and observed that no interim order was needed at that stage.

Justice Avneesh Jhingan had also refused to interfere with the Centre’s decision to terminate the perpetual lease of the 27.3-acre plot of the club in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi and posted the matter for hearing at the end of July.

The proceedings have given Gymkhana members a reprieve until that time, when the Centre is expected to file its response and the petitioner its rejoinder.

Last month, the Delhi High Court set aside an order staying a show-cause notice issued to the Delhi Race Club in relation to its proposed eviction from the 84-acre premises in Lutyens’ Delhi.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)