Employees of the Delhi Gymkhana Club on Tuesday said they had received temporary relief from the Delhi High Court in the club land dispute but remained gripped by uncertainty over their future, with many fearing loss of livelihood if the iconic institution is eventually shut down or relocated. The Delhi High Court earlier in the day took note of the Centre's submission that it would not take forceful possession of the club premises by June 5 and observed that eviction proceedings, if any, would follow due process of law. While club members and employees welcomed the interim reprieve, workers said the relief was only temporary and anxiety persisted among nearly 700 staffers and associated workers dependent on the club. "We have got relief for eight weeks for now. We have faith in the high court that it will do justice for labourers and poor people," Gymkhana Employee Welfare Association president Nandan Singh Negi told PTI. "Our breath is stuck right now. It is like we are breathing on oxygen support," he said, describing the uncertainty among workers.
Negi said the employees' association had filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court on Monday evening, in addition to petitions moved by club members. "Two suits were from the members' side and one was from the workers' side. All three were heard together," another employee associated with the case said.
According to employees, the court has sought details related to the workforce, including data on the number of employees and their years of service before the next hearing scheduled in July-end after the court reopens. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the central government, said eviction proceedings will only be initiated in accordance with law and after giving due notice. "June 5 is the date on which we have given an option to the lessee to vacate on its own. Unlike the popular belief, which is going around in media circles, it is not that the police will rush in and forcibly take possession. It will have to be taken over in accordance with the procedure established by law," he submitted.
Workers further said they had yet to receive any written assurance from the club management regarding their future employment. "Yesterday, there was a verbal assurance from the management that the club would not shut down. But how can anyone trust only verbal assurances? There is a big difference between saying something and giving it in writing," an employee said. He added that many workers feared severe financial distress if jobs were lost.
Another employee claimed that some representatives were allegedly asked to withdraw the workers' petition, though no formal communication was received. "No one from the management has met us officially. Right now, we are only trusting the high court," Negi said. The Delhi High Court refused to interfere at this stage with the Centre's decision to terminate the perpetual lease of the 27.3-acre plot of the club in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi and posted the matter for the end of July.
The Centre had, through a May 22 notice issued by the Land and Development Office under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, asked the club to hand over possession of the land by June 5 for "strengthening and securing defence infrastructure". Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Mehta told the court that June 5 was merely the date offered to the lessee to vacate voluntarily and that forcible possession would not be taken without following due process. He also told the court that compensation could either be monetary or in the form of alternative land. The Delhi Gymkhana Club stands on one of the city's most valuable and strategically important land parcels within the high-security administrative zone that houses several key central government and defence establishments.
Founded during the British era, the club began functioning at the site in 1913 under the name Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club. It was renamed the Delhi Gymkhana Club after India gained Independence, while the existing structures were constructed in the 1930s.