A Delhi court on Tuesday declined to stay the August 11 government order directing the Delhi Race Club to vacate its Lutyens’ Delhi premises within 15 days. The century-old Delhi Race Club, located on Central Golf Link Road opposite the official residence of the Prime Minister, had approached the court seeking interim protection against the eviction order passed by the Estate Officer under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act.
Principal District & Sessions Judge Pitamber Dutt of the Patiala House Courts dismissed the Club’s application, holding that it had failed to establish a prima facie case for staying the order. The Court noted that the Delhi Race Club failed to establish a prima facie case against the Estate Officer’s August 11 eviction order and accordingly dismissed its request for an interim stay.
Appearing for the Club, Senior Advocate Suhail Dutt argued that the Estate Officer’s August 11 order violated the principles of natural justice, contending that the Club had not been supplied with a copy of the plaint despite repeated requests.
Dutt further argued that the eviction proceedings were barred by the principle of res judicata, which prevents the reopening of issues already conclusively decided by a court. He pointed out that an earlier show-cause notice issued to the Club in 1999 had been quashed by the Delhi High Court.
The senior counsel also submitted that the Club’s continued payment of rent, along with a lease-extension deposit made in 2013, demonstrated that the lease had effectively been renewed.
The court, however, found no prima facie ground to grant interim protection and dismissed the application seeking a stay of the eviction order.
The Delhi Race Club is a historic horse-racing institution situated in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi. The dispute concerns its continued occupation of the government premises and the validity of the proceedings initiated under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act. The August 11 order requires the Club to vacate the premises within 15 days, prompting it to challenge the eviction before the Patiala House Courts.
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