Centre initiates eviction proceedings against Sujan Singh Park North in Delhi

4 min readNew DelhiJun 19, 2026 04:48 AM IST

On April 22, the Supreme Court had given its judgment on one of the fundamental disputes between the government and the firm, saying the property was a “government grant”. After that, the L&DO had on April 30 issued a demand notice to the company for payment of Rs.940 crore for breaching lease conditions of Sujan Singh Park.

The Union government has initiated eviction proceedings against Sujan Singh Park North, the upscale colonial-era building complex next to Khan Market in New Delhi that includes the iconic Ambassador Hotel, saying the lease ended in 1960 due to the failure to address breaches of the conditions.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ Land and Development Office (L&DO) on June 11 issued an eviction notice to Sir Sobha Singh and Sons,  the real estate company that built, and still runs the complex after it was given the land on lease to develop Sujan Singh Park in 1945.

The firm was asked to respond to the notice by Friday as to why an eviction order should not be passed.

The 1945 lease, the L&DO said, for the land had been re-entered on August 5, 1960 due to the company’s failure to rectify breaches of two clauses of the lease.  Re-entry refers to the termination of the lease in event of a breach of the lease.

No renewal, fresh allotment or fresh lease had been executed or granted since 1960, and the continued occupation of the property was without authority of law, the L&DO added.

The L&DO initiated the proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, and asked the firm to recover possession from “sub-tenants”.

Shaunak Kashyap, the advocate for Sir Sobha Singh & Sons Pvt. Ltd, said the company had got “substantive relief” from the Delhi High Court on Wednesday when it moved the court against the June 11 notice. While the court did not stay the notice, Kashyap said it was not necessary. He said the notice rested on a June 9 judgment of the Tis Hazari court, in which the court struck down a decree in favour of the government. The court’s judgment would have led to the company’s eviction, however, Kashyap said the government told the High Court it would not rely on the Tis Hazari court judgment.

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“At the hearing in the High Court on Wednesday, we argued that the notice was illegal in so far as it rested on that judgment. This forced the government’s counsel to withdraw the operative portion of the notice that threatened eventual eviction, thereby granting us substantial relief…A formal stay was thus unnecessary precisely because the government itself gave up the operative basis of the threatened eviction, based on our arguments before the vacation bench — and that, in the circumstances, is substantive relief,” he said.

Kashyap added that the company had challenged the L&DO’s jurisdiction.“Any eviction must now begin afresh, on a fresh notice, with the government first proving that its 1960 ‘re-entry’ was valid — something it failed to establish in 49 years of trial — through a full inquiry with evidence and cross-examination, in which the residents, Hotel Ambassador, the Traders’ Association and the RWA are each entitled to be heard before the Director of Estates.”

He added that the company would place its position on record before the Estate Officer on Friday.

On April 22, the Supreme Court had given its judgment on one of the fundamental disputes between the government and the firm, saying the property was a “government grant”. After that, the L&DO had on April 30 issued a demand notice to the company for payment of Rs.940 crore for breaching lease conditions of Sujan Singh Park.

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The government had given the 7.58 acre property — Sujan Singh Park North and South — to the company on perpetual lease on April 26, 1945. The company was to construct 100 flats that would be used by the government to house officers during World War II, after which 50% of the flats would be given to the company, with the government keeping 50% for use of its own officials, as per the lease. Over the years, however, the units in possession of the government fell to 14 flats, 39 servant quarters and 25 garages.

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Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission.

Expertise

Key Coverage Areas: Damini Nath currently specializes in reporting on two crucial beats:

Housing and Urban Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis and reporting on India's urban development, policy, and housing issues.

Election Commission (EC): Offering authoritative coverage of electoral processes, policies, and the functioning of India's constitutional body responsible for conducting elections.

Professional Background: Her extensive experience includes roles as a reporter and sub-editor, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the journalistic process from fieldwork to final production.

Previous Role: Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she served as a dedicated reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau, where her reporting portfolio included:

Culture

Social Justice

Housing and Urban Affairs

The Election Commission beat (a consistent area of focus).

Trustworthiness

Damini Nath's decade-plus career at two of India's most respected and authoritative news institutions, The Indian Express and The Hindu, underscores her commitment to factual, impartial, and high-quality reporting, establishing her as a trusted and credible source for news on urban governance and electoral matters. ... Read More

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