The Supreme Court directed stoppage of activities within the protected zones surrounding monuments situated inside the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) premises and ordered sealing of structures constructed within the prohibited area around a protected monument. However, the Court subsequently kept implementation of those directions in abeyance till the next date of hearing after a request made on behalf of the DGC.

A Bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and N. Kotiswar Singh was hearing a matter concerning preservation of monuments and heritage structures in Delhi.

Referring to the report submitted by the Court Commissioner regarding monuments situated within the Delhi Golf Club premises, the Bench observed that the condition of the monuments was “alarming”. The Court noted that out of ten monuments, conservation work had been carried out only in four monuments by the Aga Khan Trust, while photographs on record revealed that most structures were in a dilapidated state with no semblance of conservation work or even basic maintenance.

The Court directed that all activities within a 100-metre radius of the protected monument situated within the DGC campus or land leased in favour of the DGC be stopped with immediate effect under Section 20A of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. It further ordered that any structures built within the prohibited zone be sealed forthwith.

The Bench also directed that no activity be permitted within a 20-metre radius of the other monuments identified in the Court Commissioner’s report concerning the DGC premises. The NDMC Chairperson and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi were made responsible for implementation of the directions.

The Court additionally issued notice to the Director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), asking why appropriate orders should not be passed against him for a “callous and casual approach” despite the monument being under ASI custody.

However, after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Delhi Golf Club, sought time to respond to the Court Commissioner’s report and place suggestions before the Court, the Bench granted “extraordinary indulgence” and kept implementation of the aforesaid directions in abeyance till the next date of hearing.

The matter has been listed for hearing on July 22, 2026.

The Bench heard Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), ASG S.D. Sanjay for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Ranjit Kumar for the Delhi Golf Club, counsel for the NCT of Delhi, as well as Nipun Saxena appearing on behalf of the Court Commissioner. Historian Dr. Swapna Liddle was also heard by the Court.

Appearances: 

For Petitioners: Mr. Shikhil Shiv Suri, Sr. Adv.; Mrs. Madhu Suri, Adv.; Ms. Jyoti Suri, Adv.; Ms. Wamika Chadha, Adv.; Mr. Vibhor Choudhary, Adv.; Mr. Aditya Bhardwaj, Adv.; Ms. Sakshi Arora, Adv.; Mr. Deva Vrat Anand, Adv.; Mr. T. R. B. Sivakumar, AoR
For Respondents: Mr. Satya Darshi Sanjay, A.S.G.; Mr. Amrish Kumar, AoR; Mr. Sudarshan Lamba, AoR; Mr. Siddhant Kohli, Adv.; Mr. Raman Yadav, Adv.; Mr. Chitvan Singhal, Adv.; Mr. Mrigank Pathak, Adv.; Mr. Sarthak Karol, Adv.

Mr. Khushal Kolwar, Adv.; Mr. Udai Khanna, Adv.; Ms. Shivika Mehra, Adv.; Ms. Sunita Sharma, Adv.; Mr. B. L. N. Shivani, Adv.; Ms. Satvika Thakur, Adv.; Mr. Mohan Prasad Gupta, Adv.; Mr. Yogesh Vats, Adv.; Mr. Kanu Agrawal, Adv.; Mr. Shreekant Neelappa Terdal, AoR

Mr. Raj Bahadur Yadav, AoR

Mr. Rakesh Sinha, Adv.; Mr. Arvind Gupta, AoR; Mr. Shubhranshu Padhi, AoR; Ms. Swati Ghildiyal, AoR; Ms. Neha Singh, Adv.

Mr. Rajkumar Bhaskar Thakar Ld, A.S.G.; Mr. Mukesh Kumar Maroria, AoR; Mr. Prasenjeet Mohapatra, Adv.; Mr. Sanjay Kumar Tyagi, Adv.; Ms. Neelakshi Bhadauria, Adv.; Mr. Rishikesh Haridas, Adv.; Mr. S.n.terdal (aor), Adv.; Mr. Ishaan Sharma, Adv.

Mr. S.D. Sanjay, A.S.G.; Mr. Praveen Swarup, AoR; Mr. Devesh Maurya, Adv.; Mr. Rohit Swarup, Adv.; Mr. Pr Abhimanyu Karthikeya Raja, Adv.; Ms. Ashu Tomar, Adv.; Mr. Sukhamrit Singh, Adv.; Mr. Vikash Kumar, Adv.

Mr. Nitin Mishra, AoR

Mr. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General; Mr. S.D. Sanjay, A.S.G.; Mr. Udit Dedhiya, Adv.; Mr. V. N. Raghupathy, AoR; Ms. Apurva Sachdev, Adv.

Mr. Shashank Bajpai, Adv.; Mr. Ankur Mishra, Adv.; Mr. Gurpreet Singh, Adv.; Mr. Nitish Dham, Adv.; Ms. Vidula Mehrotra, AoR; Mr. Gopi Chand, Adv.; Mr. Vatsal Tripathi, Adv.; Mr. Govind Singh, Adv.; Mr. Akshit Saxena, Adv.; Ms. Vaishnavstuti, Adv.

Mr. Kapil Sibal, Sr. Adv.; Mr. Ranjit Kumar, Sr. Adv.; Mr. Gaurav Liberhan, Adv.; Ms. Ranjeeta Rohatgi, AoR; Ms. Aparajita Jamwal, Adv.; Mr. Rishabh Parikh, Adv.; Mr. Nikhil Pahwa, Adv.; Mr. Yuvraj Kashyap, Adv.

Mr. Nipun Saxena, Adv.; Ms. Astha Sharma, AoR; Ms. Mantika Haryani, Adv.; Ms. Pratibha Yadav, Adv.; Mr. Vishal Sinha, Adv.; Mr. Shourya, Adv.; Mr. Bhanu Mishra, Adv.; Ms. Deepali Dabas, Adv.; Mr. B. D Rao Kaundan, Adv.; Ms. Aadya Pandey, Adv.; Mr. Dev Nagar, Adv.