High Court bench recuses from hearing Chandigarh Golf Club lease case

The club had approached the high court challenging the Chandigarh Administration’s decision of enhancing its lease amount enormously, charging Rs 9.27 crore as rent, including interest for five years – from March 2008 to 2013. As per the earlier lease signed for 20 years from 1988 to 2008, the annual lease amount of the club established on August 25, 1966, was Rs 1 lakh.

However, after the revision of lease amount, it reached Rs 1.61 crore annually.

On August 11, the court was informed that the High Court had earlier in February 2013 appointed Justice Kuldip Singh as mediator in the case but the mediation had failed to bring some fruitful result. The court observed, “We see no reason why the mediation should fail. Considering all the facts and circumstances of the case, which we refrain from mentioning in this order, we are confident that the mediation in this matter will succeed. The parties are directed to go back to the learned mediator on August 26.”