New Delhi: Delhi High Court has restrained the Land and Development Office (L&DO) from evicting the 100‑year‑old Delhi Race Club (DRC) and the Indian Polo Association (IPA) from the 68-acre prime land they occupy on Lok Kalyan Marg.In two separate orders passed on Wednesday, the court granted varying degrees of protection to the entities.While DRC received an interim stay on eviction till April 9, giving authorities time to clarify their stand, the court disposed of IPA’s petition but barred the govt from acting on the March 12 eviction notice.Earlier this month, L&DO under the Union urban affairs ministry issued notices to both bodies, stating they had continued occupying land at Delhi Race Course and Jaipur Polo Ground for decades after expiry of their leases.In DRC’s case, Justice Mini Pushkarna said the club had established a prima facie case for interim protection. “The defendant is restrained from dispossessing the plaintiff from the premises known as the Delhi Race Club comprising 53.242 acres… till the next date of hearing,” the order said. The club argued it has a subsisting lease and continues to pay annual charges.Appearing for L&DO, standing counsel Ashish Dixit submitted that the eviction move was not due to lease violations but because the Centre intended to use the land for a “larger public purpose”. He said the Jaipur Polo Ground abuts the Prime Minister’s residence and lies in the heart of the capital, and the govt, as land-owning agency, seeks to develop the area.IPA told the court it intended to invoke the arbitration clause in its lease agreement. The HC left it open for the govt to initiate fresh proceedings but said it “binds the govt not to evict the petitioner on the basis of the eviction notice dated March 12, 2026”. Any future action, it said, must follow due process.
