New Delhi, May 25 -- Delhi Gymkhana club is set to move the Delhi High Court, challenging a Union government order asking it to vacate its 27.3 acre premises at 2, Safdarjung Road. Over 500 permanent members signed a resolution authorising long-time member Vijay Khurana as lead petitioner. Senior lawyer and Congress parliamentarian Abhishek Manu Singhvi will lead the legal challenge, with Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal likely to represent the club. Singhvi told HT, "I've been requested by people to appear on behalf of the management of the Gymkhana." On Friday, the land & development office (L&DO) directed the club to vacate by June 15, invoking a public purpose clause. The order, signed by deputy land and development officer Suchit Goyal, describes the premises as within a "highly sensitive and strategic area" required for defence infrastructure and public security. A person aware of the legal strategy said the club would argue that the government-appointed committee's term lapsed in June 2025 without holding polls, so it lacks legal capacity. Second, since this is a perpetual lease, "they can't simply resume it because it finds the moment convenient." Compensation is a mandatory precondition for valid public purpose. Another person said, "The government plan to take away the land in the pretext of security doesn't hold water." In a letter, the club has also urged the L&DO to ensure "no dislocation" until further clarity on relocation and alternative land allotment. soumya chatterjee...