India, June 1 -- The proposed takeover of the iconic Gymkhana Club by the government raises questions about how a democratic state exercises its powers over leased land, defines "public good", interprets "security", and negotiates the complicated inheritance of India's colonial past.

To begin with, there can be little doubt that the government, as the unquestionable landlord of leased land, possesses the legal authority to resume such land under certain conditions. On that count, the government's right cannot be disputed.

But while the right may exist, the reasons advanced for exercising it can be discussed. Governments in a democracy are not monarchs issuing decrees from the ramparts of certainty. They are accountable entities whose ac...