Delhi HC Defers Indian Polo Association Hearing on Jaipur Polo Ground Eviction
On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, the Delhi High Court deferred the hearing on a petition by the Indian Polo Association challenging its eviction from the 15.20-acre Jaipur Polo Ground in Delhi. Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar postponed the matter to July 9, 2026, while the Central government assured the court that no alteration or digging of the specialized polo turf would take place in the meantime.
The high court deferred the hearing after noting that a copy of the sessions court's decision, which the association is challenging, was not yet available to the parties. The petition challenges a June 18 order by a sessions court that refused to stay the Central government's May 20 eviction order.
During the hearing, senior advocate Kirtiman Singh, representing the Indian Polo Association, expressed concerns over potential damage to the polo turf. He argued that the association's appeal against the eviction is scheduled to be heard by the sessions court on July 23 and requested that authorities be directed not to destroy the ground before then.
In response, Central government counsel Ashish Dixit assured the court that no physical alteration to the playing turf would occur. Justice Shankar told the Centre’s lawyer, "You are anyway in possession. Therefore, there is no hurry to tear it up right now."
Previously, on June 29, Dixit had informed a vacation bench that the polo ground was merely being demarcated to raise a boundary wall, and no work was being done on the active playing turf.
The Indian Polo Association's petition seeks to restore its possession of the Jaipur Polo Ground and restrain authorities from demolishing, digging, or altering the site. The association also requested reasonable access to the ground for routine maintenance, noting that the turf requires specialized care, including mowing, irrigation, levelling, aeration, and weed control.
According to the association, the authorities had already taken possession of the ground and initiated physical alterations, which they argued would render their pending appeal useless if allowed to continue. The temporary halt on turf alterations remains in place until the next high court hearing on July 9, 2026.
