The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a petition by the Jockey Association of India challenging an eviction order that requires the Delhi Race Club to vacate its 53-acre premises in Lutyens' Delhi, saying the association had no maintainable right to challenge the order while the club itself had already moved court.
Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar recorded that the association's plea was not maintainable, noting that the Delhi Race Club — the party to the lease — had separately challenged the eviction. The eviction direction was issued by the Estate Officer under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
Union counsel says association lacks legal standing
Opposing the association's petition, counsel for the Union government, Ashish Dixit, told the court the Jockey Association was not a party to the lease deed between the Race Club and the government and therefore had no locus to seek relief against the eviction order. The Centre has maintained that the 1926 lease deed, which originally covered an 84.48-acre plot, was not perpetual and had expired on 31 December 1994.
The Estate Officer had on 11 August ordered the club to vacate the entire premises within 15 days. The Jockey Association had challenged that direction on grounds that the eviction would severely affect the employment and livelihoods of jockeys, trainers, stable hands and others associated with horse racing in north India.
“The Impugned Order would effectively destroy an existing sporting institution while serving no identified or demonstrated public purpose,” the association said in its plea.
The association argued that the Delhi Race Club was the only facility in north India with specialised infrastructure for thoroughbred racing, stabling, training and exercise, and that the authorities had not disclosed the alternative arrangements or specified the public purpose for which the land was required.
- Eviction order: Estate Officer under PPE Act dated 11 August directing vacation within 15 days.
- Lease position: Centre contends 1926 lease was not perpetual and expired on 31 December 1994 for 84.48 acres.
- Judgment: Delhi High Court held association’s petition not maintainable; separate challenge by the club remains.
Implications for workers and the sport
The association's petition emphasised potential loss of stabling, training and exercise facilities for horses, saying the eviction without an alternative would impact constitutional rights under Articles 19(1)(g) and 21. The Centre, while asserting control of the land, has not publicly disclosed detailed plans for the site or how existing racing and equestrian activities would be accommodated, the plea said.
Legal and administrative steps taken by the Union government to retake possession highlight the division between Union property management and the interests of the racing community. The Delhi Race Club and the Jockey Association have framed the dispute in terms of sport and livelihoods; the Centre’s position relies on lease expiry and the statutory process for eviction of unauthorised occupants.
The court's dismissal of the jockey body’s petition leaves the matter to the pending litigation filed by the Delhi Race Club itself. Any further relief for jockeys, trainers and other staff will depend on the outcome of that challenge and on whether authorities propose an alternative sporting facility or rehabilitation measures for those affected.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lease deed | 1926; Centre says not perpetual; expired 31 Dec 1994 |
| Area concerned | 53 acres (petition referenced); original lease covered 84.48 acres |
| Eviction order date | 11 August (Estate Officer under PPE Act) |
For now, the legal contest will proceed between the Delhi Race Club and the Union government; jockeys and ancillary workers remain in a precarious position until a final judicial determination or administrative solution is reached.
