Not long after the action against the Delhi Gymkhana Club, another high-profile address in the capital has come under the government's grip. The historic Jaipur Polo Ground, set in the ultra-sensitive VVIP zone of Race Course Road, has now passed into the direct control of the central government. What makes the campus especially notable is its location — directly opposite the Prime Minister's residence.
Early on Saturday morning, a team from the Land and Development Office (L&DO) reached the spot, pasted an eviction notice on the main entry gate and began the process of taking possession. The move came at the very moment a Delhi court declined to grant the Indian Polo Association (IPA) any interim relief against the eviction order. Once the court's position became clear, the government wasted no time in establishing its hold over the ground.
Why the IPA's Plea Failed in Court
The root of the dispute lies in an order issued on 20 May this year, which directed that the Jaipur Polo Ground be vacated. The Indian Polo Association had challenged this by filing an appeal, seeking a stay on the eviction.
However, the court's vacation bench offered the association no respite. The bench observed that the IPA had already approached the District Sessions Judge and the Delhi High Court seeking similar relief, but had failed to secure it at any level. The court further noted that it would not be proper to decide a stay application without first giving the central government a chance to file its response. Citing judicial discipline and earlier orders, the bench flatly refused to halt the eviction. The case is now scheduled for its next hearing on 17 June.
Lease Expired, Yet Possession Continued
With no relief forthcoming from the court, L&DO officials went straight to the Jaipur Polo Ground on Saturday morning, fixed the notice on the gate and set the formal takeover process in motion. According to the officials, the land is owned by the central government, and the premises remained occupied even after the lease period had run out.
Government records indicate that the land was originally linked to the Jaipur royal family and was later put to use for playing polo. The campus was being run by the Indian Polo Association.
The Centre contends that the lease granted in 1951 was for a term of 20 years. It was extended afterwards, but lapsed entirely in 1993. According to the government, the Indian Polo Association nonetheless held on to the premises and continued to use it thereafter.
The Government's Argument: A Matter of 'Larger Public Purpose'
The central government is framing this as a question of 'larger public purpose' — that is, broader public interest and public welfare. The eviction order, it says, was issued on precisely this ground.
The government maintains that land sitting in such a crucial part of the national capital ought to be deployed for the wider public good. Even so, it remains unclear for now which project this piece of land will eventually be used for.
