New Delhi: In an unusual move, the Supreme Court Wednesday ordered an immediate 100-metre prohibition zone around Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monuments within the Delhi Golf Club entrance, but kept its own order in abeyance until the next hearing in late July.
In the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) sits on 170 acres of government land, surrounded by India Gate, Humayun’s Tomb, and the Lodhi Gardens. Established in the 1930s as a municipal golf course, the club became a corporate entity in 1950 and has been a hub of golf activity ever since.
A Delhi resident, Rajeev Suri, initially filed the plea seeking protection for the Gumti of Shaikh Ali, an Octagonal tomb in Defence Colony, which was later declared a protected monument following a court order passed by Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah’s bench.
After addressing the encroachment at the Defence Colony Gumti, the court went on to highlight the neglect of ancient monuments across the entire capital.
The court’s 100m mandate meant the suspension of activities and the sealing of structures within that radius, including the Golf Club.
Seized of a Court Commissioner’s report on the Delhi Golf Club, the court described the situation as “alarming, to say the least”.
According to the report, the Aga Khan Trust has carried out conservation work on only four of the ten monuments. One monument has been notified under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, and is under the aegis of the ASI. The court said that the photographs reveal that most of the monuments bear no semblance of any conservation work and are in dilapidated condition, with not even the required basic maintenance.
Turning to the role of ASI, the Court noted that it has not taken “appropriate steps as per the requirements of the Act, by ensuring that no activity happens around the monument which is protected and has to be taken care of”. Thus, a notice was issued to the ASI director asking why appropriate orders have not been passed against him for “such a callous and casual approach in the matter where, despite a monument being under the custody of the ASI, there is absolutely no work undertaken or action taken by it”.
The Court put its directions in abeyance until the next date of hearing, on the request of DGC’s counsel, Kapil Sibal, for responding and also coming up with some suggestions.
“Though the Court does not find any ground for any rethinking, however, by way of extraordinary indulgence, the implementation of the aforesaid directions to the Chairperson, NDMC, and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, is kept in abeyance till the next date of listing”, it said.
In May 2025, the Delhi Golf Club made headlines after Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan and other professionals staged a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding practice rights at the DGC and arguing that the club stands on government-leased land meant for the “promotion and advancement” of golf.
(Edited by Varnika Dhawan)
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