1 week ago
Delhi High Court Rejects Jockey Plea Over Race Club Eviction
The Delhi Race Club has been told to leave its land in New Delhi.
A government officer gave the club 15 days to vacate.
The Jockey Association of India asked the court to stop the eviction.
It said jockeys, trainers, stable workers and horse owners depend on the club.
It also said the club is the only specialised thoroughbred racing facility in north India.
The government says the club’s old lease ended in 1994 and the land is needed for a public purpose.
The Delhi High Court did not decide the association’s broader complaints because it said the association was not part of the lease.
The race club itself has already appealed against the eviction order.
The Delhi High Court dismissed the Jockey Association of India’s challenge to the Delhi Race Club’s eviction order.
The August 11 order directed the club to vacate its approximately 53.24-acre premises within 15 days.
The court said the association’s petition was not maintainable because it is not a party to the club’s lease.
The Centre says the club’s 1926 lease expired on December 31, 1994, and the land is required for a public purpose.
The association says eviction would disrupt racing, employment, horse training and stabling because no alternative facility was provided.
- Who
- The Delhi High Court, Jockey Association of India, Delhi Race Club and Union government are involved.
- What
- The High Court rejected the jockey association’s petition challenging the Delhi Race Club’s eviction order.
- Where
- The Delhi Race Club premises on Race Course Road, now Lok Kalyan Marg, in Lutyens’ Delhi, New Delhi.
- When
- The court rejected the plea on August 21; the eviction order was issued on August 11 and allowed 15 days to vacate.
- Why
- The Centre says the lease expired on December 31, 1994, leaving the club in unauthorised occupation, and that the land is needed for a public purpose; the association disputes the eviction and cites its effect on racing and livelihoods.
Jockey Association of India
Union Government and Authorities
Effect on racing and livelihoods
Jockey Association of India
The association says eviction would disrupt jockeys, trainers, stable boys and other members, and remove specialised facilities for thoroughbred racing, stabling, training and exercise.
Union Government and Authorities
Authorities are seeking possession of the premises after treating the club as an unauthorised occupant; the court noted that the club itself is the party challenging the eviction.
Public purpose
Jockey Association of India
The association says authorities have not identified the public purpose, explained how the land will be used or provided an alternative facility, making the decision arbitrary and contrary to law.
Union Government and Authorities
The Centre says the land is required for a public purpose, but the reports do not specify the proposed use.
Lease and legal standing
Jockey Association of India
The association argues that its members’ employment, livelihoods and rights under Articles 19(1)(g) and 21 are directly affected by the eviction.
Union Government and Authorities
The Union government says the association has no locus because it is not a party to the lease; the court accepted that the petition was not maintainable and noted the club had already appealed.
Key facts
- Court ruling
- Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar held that the association’s petition was not maintainable.
- Eviction deadline
- An August 11 Estate Officer order directed the Delhi Race Club to vacate within 15 days.
- Premises
- The club occupies approximately 53.24 acres, also described in the report as 53 acres.
- Original lease
- The Centre says the 1926 lease initially covered 84.48 acres and expired on December 31, 1994.
- Legal process
- Authorities proceeded under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
- Association’s argument
- The association says eviction would threaten employment and leave members without facilities to stable, train and exercise horses.
- Club’s appeal
- The Delhi Race Club, rather than the association, has separately appealed against the eviction order.
Quotes
Jockey Association of India
Association that petitioned against the Delhi Race Club’s eviction order
“The Impugned Order, without providing any alternate facility, would therefore leave the Petitioners with nowhere to stable, train and exercise their horses, directly affecting their rights under Articles 19(1)(g) and 21 and placing their valuable horses and livelihood at grave risk.”
theprint.in
“The Respondents’ bare assertion that the land is required for “public purpose”, without disclosing what that purpose is, how the land is proposed to be utilised, or where and how the existing racing and equestrian activities are to be accommodated, is arbitrary and irrational.”
theprint.in
Sources
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