HC dismisses plea by Jockey Association challenging eviction from Delhi Race Club

The eviction order, passed by the estate officer on August 11, directed that the premises of Delhi Race Club be vacated within 15 days.

3 min readNew DelhiAug 21, 2026 09:16 PM IST

The Delhi Race Club, spread across approximately 53.242 acres on Race Course Road (now known as Lok Kalyan Marg), was originally granted a lease in 1926, on the condition that they have to construct a race course at their own cost, for horse racing. (Source: Express Archives)

The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a plea by Jockey Association of India which had moved the court challenging an order evicting them from Delhi Race Club premises on Lok Kalyan Marg.

The eviction order, passed by the estate officer on August 11, directed that the premises of Delhi Race Club be vacated within 15 days.

Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, took note that the association is not a lessee and dismissed the plea as not maintainable.

The association, in its petition, argued that though the eviction proceedings are against the Delhi Race Club, the association and its “jockeys, trainers, stable boys, and other members” are directly affected, “as eviction would disrupt their employment and livelihood” and leave them “without facilities to stable, train and exercise their horses.”

According to the Club, it houses around 250 finely bred horses and that around 244 horse races and 1,600 inter venue races are conducted each year, and “directly and indirectly provides livelihood to more than 5,000 families, including trainers, jockeys, stable staff, veterinarians, ground staff, security personnel” among others.

The association also pointed out in its plea that the Delhi Race Club “is a recognised

heritage site in the heart of Delhi, and is the only facility in North India providing the specialised infrastructure required for thoroughbred horse racing, stabling, training and exercise.”

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The Central government’s standing counsel Ashish Dixit, opposing the plea, argued that the association has no locus to challenge the eviction order and that they are not a lessee, and therefore the court should not entertain the plea.

The lease was initially for a period of 25 years, which has since been periodically extended. In 1985, control over a substantial portion of the subject land was taken back by the Centre and allotted for public purposes, including to the Ministry of Defence.

According to the Club, since 1987, the government started unilaterally demanding increased ground rent. In 1999, a show cause notice was issued to the Club by the government for re-entry. Following a protracted challenge to the notice, the Delhi HC in 2012 had set it aside, while terming it to be “patently bad in law”.

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The Club said the lease was renewed in 2013 after payment of dues — Rs 3.48 crore — for purported breaches of terms of lease regularisation. Since 2013, the Club has been paying an annual ground rent of Rs 22.29 lakh. The Centre has however disputed the lease renewal.

It said the Club is in “unauthorised occupation” of the premises since the lease expired, and no further extension was granted in its favour. The Centre also contended that dues paid for breaches does not create or renew leasehold rights in favour of the Club.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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