In a significant legal development, a Delhi court has declined to halt the Central government’s takeover of the Jaipur Polo Ground, a prestigious site managed by the Indian Polo Association in Lutyens Delhi. This decision was rendered by Vacation Judge Dhirendra Rana at the Patiala House Court, who dismissed the request to pause the enforcement of the eviction order issued by the government on May 20.
Judge Rana stated, “As far as staying the execution of the impugned order until the next hearing date is concerned, I am not inclined to accept this request. A similar request was previously made before the Learned Principal District & Sessions Judge, PHC, and the Hon’ble Delhi High Court, and no relief was granted to the appellant. Therefore, in keeping with judicial discipline and propriety, I am not inclined to stay the execution of the impugned order even until the next date.”
Legal representatives for the Central government and the Indian Polo Association verified that the government has initiated steps to assume control of the ground. During the proceedings on June 12, counsel for the Central government requested additional time to respond to the stay application and the plea challenging the eviction notice.
The Indian Polo Association’s counsel contested this request, urging the court to defer the execution of the eviction order until the government submits its response. Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Ashish Dixit, representing the government, contended that an erroneous assertion was made before the Delhi High Court, suggesting that the stay application had not been resolved by the district judge.
Dixit clarified that no formal application for a stay had been filed, and only an interim request was made without any detailed pleading for interim relief. Following the arguments, Judge Rana noted that on June 3, the District Judge did not suspend the eviction notice, and the writ petition by the Indian Polo Association was concluded on June 8 without granting a stay.
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Consequently, he also declined to suspend the eviction order and instructed the government to submit its response to both the plea and the stay application. The Indian Polo Association was represented by Senior Advocate Akshay Makhija, along with advocates Major Nirvikar Singh, Rohan Bata, Rishi Agrawala, Tarini Khurana, Muskan Sethi, Rishab Bharghav, and Dhruv Sethi. Representing the Central government, CGSC Ashish Dixit appeared with advocates Jasmeet Kaur, Pushpreet Singh, Umar Hashmi, Amit Sharma, and Gaurav Singh.
