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The big focus of this episode of 5 Live is on the central government's eviction notice issued to the Delhi Gymkhana Club, asking it to vacate the 27.3-acre Lutyens premises by June 5.
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00:02Hello and welcome. You're watching 5 Live. I'm Sorul Mehrotra Kapoor.
00:06Today on the program, we've got three stories in focus for you.
00:09Number one, this one has really captured the imagination of the Delhi's elite.
00:14We're talking about the Gymkhana club and the power games over there.
00:18Now guess what? It takes about 37 years to get membership at Gymkhana.
00:23It's now gone in just 14 days.
00:26There is a lot of debate online, but many are saying what exactly is the problem with government reclaiming its
00:34land back?
00:35We look into all those details and take you down the history of Gymkhana club.
00:40How did it land in this position?
00:42Number two story in focus. We are not getting our eye off Twisha Pro.
00:47Now the latest is the Supreme Court hearing, which is now watching over the case.
00:52CBI has jumped in, second autopsy is done.
00:56What happens now to the probe and importantly to that, you know, sort of court hearing that gives a protection
01:04to Twisha's mother-in-law.
01:05All of that coming up on the program.
01:07And then, as always, we have not got our eyes off Delhi's summer pollution.
01:14We told you last time around as well that in winter the problem is 2.5.
01:18In summer, it turns to PM10. Largely dust.
01:22Why is that happening? What exactly are the levels right now?
01:27And why should you care?
01:29All of those questions answered in the program.
01:32But first up, as always, let's take you through all the top headlines on Top of Five.
01:40Petrol diesel prices have been hiked for the fourth time now within the last 11 days amid the ongoing Iran
01:46war.
01:47With the latest hike, petrol prices have crossed now 100 rupees per litre in Delhi,
01:52while petrol prices have increased by 2 rupees 61.
01:55Perse diesel has been increased by 2 rupees 71.
01:59The latest hike will add pressure on household already dealing with inflation.
02:05The Supreme Court has now restrained Twisha Sharma's family and the accused from making statements to the media
02:11over the actor and model's death in Ghopal.
02:15While welcoming the CBI probe in the case, CGI-led the Supreme Court bench expressed pain
02:21at how Twisha's case had played out in the media.
02:26Delhi's Gymkhana Club has now moved the Delhi High Court challenging Centre's directive,
02:33asking it to vacate its 27.3-acre premises in Latins, Delhi, by 5th of June.
02:39The matter was mentioned before the Justice Avneesh Jingan by Senior Advocator Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
02:45who sought an urgent hearing in the matter.
02:47The court has agreed to hear it on the 26th of June.
02:54Congress CM Nataka has hit top gear.
02:57Sources say D.K. Sivkumar is likely to fry to Delhi tonight.
03:01Meanwhile, Sidhra Maya has been summoned to Delhi tomorrow
03:04and the Karnataka Chief Minister will meet Rahul and Kharke in Delhi.
03:11Supreme Court has issued a notice to Centre and the NTA in a plea against the Neet Paper leak
03:16filed by the United Doctors Front.
03:19While raising pointed questions over the implementation of the reforms after previous leaks,
03:24the APEC's court has actually wrapped NTA for failing to learn its lessons from the past leaks.
03:32Supreme Court will now hear the case on Friday.
03:36Delhi set to witness another week of heat wave conditions,
03:40with the Indian Meteorological Department issuing a yellow alert for the capital over the next three days.
03:45The weather department has forecast strong surface winds and heat wave-like conditions
03:52during the afternoon and evening hours throughout the next three days.
03:58Chief Minister Vijay held a review meeting with top officials today.
04:03Vijay ordered police officials to act swiftly against those involved in heinous crimes.
04:08The Tamil Nadu chief minister met with the law and order agencies there
04:13and also it comes after a horrific child murder was reported in Madhurai.
04:20Meanwhile, Marco Rubio, on his first ever visit to India,
04:23visited Ataj Mahal along with his wife.
04:26The U.S. Secretary of State was all praises for the monument.
04:30After Agra, Rubio also visited Jaipur's Amir fort.
04:38Inval Centsix jumped over 1,000 points due to easing of the crude oil prices
04:42and improving global sentiments and expectations of progress in a possible U.S.-Iran deal.
04:48We keep saying possible. When will it really happen?
04:51The Nifty surged 3,122.40 points to close at 24,031.
04:59Invaluable law cases continue to rise.
05:01As per WHO's latest update, more than 900 suspected cases have now been identified,
05:07including 101 confirmed infections.
05:10The Democratic Republic of Congo has stepped up emergency measures,
05:14intensifying surveillance, also contact tracing, isolating protocols and vaccination efforts.
05:20Even as health authorities warned,
05:22the outbreak remains highly unpredictable.
05:25Travel guidelines have been issued by India as well.
05:34India's most powerful private club just got an eviction notice.
05:40The people who sent it were the same kind of people who spent decades trying to get in.
05:48This is the Delhi Gymkhana story and it tells you more about how power works in the country
05:53than almost anything else.
05:56Now picture this.
05:57You're a young I.S. officer.
05:59You have cleared one of the hardest exams in the world.
06:01You run a district.
06:02You sign orders that affect millions of people.
06:04But you cannot get into the club.
06:08Not because you're unqualified.
06:10Because your father was not a member.
06:13And the waiting list, that's 37 years long.
06:19So you pay the application fee anyway.
06:22The 44 crore was collected, rupees 44 crore by Giparan was collected this way from people just like you.
06:31Non-refundable, no interest, no guarantee.
06:34Just the hope that someday, maybe, you will belong.
06:39That quiet humiliation is where the story really begins.
06:45Delhi Gymkhana was founded in 1913 under the British and for the British.
06:52It was given 27.3 acres of prime land in the heart of Lutyens, Delhi in 1928 on a lease.
07:02Now the British left, the club did not.
07:05After independence, it ran on a 40-40-20 rule.
07:10What's that?
07:11That meant that about 40% of seats for civil servants, 40% for defence officers and 20% for
07:17everyone else.
07:19Children of members, however, got priority.
07:23The waiting list stretched to 37 years, which meant membership had quietly become a sort of hereditary privilege, if at
07:31all.
07:32And the rent, by the way, this number will shock you.
07:35The rent of all of this, 1,000 rupees for 27 acres of Lutyens, Delhi.
07:44Can you imagine?
07:47So what happened?
07:48By 2019, the government started looking into it more carefully and what they found was not very pretty.
07:55Despite sitting on priceless public land for nearly a century, the club was spending barely 2% of its budget
08:02on sports, which was its stated purpose.
08:06Meanwhile, it had collected over 44 crores in non-refundable interest-free application fee from wait-listed candidates,
08:13people who would never get in, funding a club they were kept out of.
08:21The NCLT was blunt in its verdict.
08:24This institution, they said, still perpetuated, sort of, and also shattered the constitutional goal of social justice.
08:33In early 2021, the government officials arrived at the club with police and announced they were taking over.
08:40Members who had treated the jimkhana as their second home were shocked.
08:45And then in April of 2022, the NCLT formally handed management to a panel of government-nominated directors.
08:55But here is the irony.
08:57The people sent to reform the club were themselves babus, IS officers, IPS officers, party functionalities.
09:04The queue jumpers had arrived to fix the queue jumping system.
09:08And according to a former club official, nothing really changed on the ground.
09:15Despite a takeover by the babus, essentially nothing changed on the ground.
09:19There were multiple pleas in court, dates kept changing, deadlines kept passing, the manicured lawns, however, stayed manicured.
09:28And then on the 22nd of May, 2026, the government stopped pretending it wanted to reform the club.
09:36It said, it simply wanted the land back.
09:42The Land and Development Office issued a notice saying that the 27.3 acre plot is critical, required for defence
09:49infrastructure and public safety purposes in a highly sensitive and strategic area of the national capital.
09:575th of June.
10:00Not very far from now is the deadline.
10:02The notice even mentions that police assistance may be used if necessary.
10:08The property, remember, sits right in the middle of the very premium Lutyens Deli, where the government has been steadily
10:14reclaiming and redeveloping land for years.
10:19But here is what you need to know before you assume that this is actually done.
10:23This club has been to the NCLT, it has been to the Supreme Court.
10:30Every time the deadline was set, the court somewhere sort of slowed it down.
10:34And as recently as 2024, an appellate called Rule Takeover was only temporary and ordered that the club return to
10:41its members by June of 2025.
10:43That order was ignored, the litigation continued.
10:46And now, everything stops at the doorstep of the Delhi High Court.
10:53The club management moved to the Delhi High Court, the centre's eviction order.
10:58A stay is not, at this point, you know, being debated.
11:03They are trying to understand how to put a stay over there.
11:06So, what you're really watching is not the ending right now, it is the latest round.
11:12For 113 years, this club outlasted every government, every court order, every deadline that came its way.
11:20Not through force, but through paperwork, through appeals.
11:23Through the simple fact that the people inside the club and the people filling sort of cases against it,
11:29went to the same law schools, lived in the same road, understood the same system.
11:37The system is now under the scanner one more time, just from the different side of the gate.
11:45June 5th is the date on the notice.
11:48Whether it is the date on the history books is something, only the courts can decide and the courts can
11:56tell.
12:06For over a century, behind these gates, India's elite networked.
12:13The Delhi Gymkhana Club, one of the last surviving symbols of colonial era privilege,
12:19is now staring at its biggest existential crisis yet.
12:27The iconic club has moved the Delhi High Court against the centre's order,
12:32asking it to vacate its massive 27.3-acre Lutyens Delhi property by June 5th.
12:39The court will now hear the matter on Tuesday.
12:43The petition filed by club member Vijay Khurana challenges both the legality and urgency of the eviction order.
12:50The club says the move could abruptly disrupt operations,
12:55impact nearly 14,000 members and leave more than 500 employees uncertain about the future.
13:27The members do not have any faith and trust in the committee that is constituted.
13:32which is run, which is managed by the government itself,
13:35because those people who are members of the committee are all government appointees
13:39and obviously they cannot go against the government.
13:41Should they go against the government, they will be obviously changed or removed.
13:45Under the circumstances, the club has decided that we have to take up the case ourselves.
13:49The case is going to be fought on behalf of the Delhi Gymkhana by Singhvi as well as Kapal Sibbal.
13:56The centre says that the land is critically required for strengthening its defence infrastructure
14:02and for other public security purposes.
14:05Now the club sits on a highly sensitive stretch at Safdarjung Road,
14:10right next to the Prime Minister's residence and surrounded by key government and defence establishments.
14:19But the Gymkhana story isn't just about heritage.
14:22It's also been shadowed by other past controversies,
14:25including alleged financial irregularities,
14:29low lease rates on prime government land,
14:32dispute over dues,
14:34elitist membership rules,
14:36the controversial green card system,
14:38which allows hereditary membership,
14:41election and administration tussles,
14:43and allegations of unauthorised construction.
14:47Founded in 1913 as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club,
14:51this colonial era institution has long been the address of India's power circuits.
14:56From bureaucrats to diplomats,
14:59generals to politicians,
15:01the Gymkhana became more than a club.
15:03It became a symbol of status.
15:06For decades, getting into Delhi Gymkhana was nearly impossible.
15:10But today, the bigger question is,
15:13will the club itself survive this battle?
15:17With Srishti Ojha in Delhi,
15:19Bureau Report, India Today.
15:23All right, let's take that entire piece of news forward with our panellists.
15:30We've got a face-off for you today.
15:31Joining me is Major Retire General P.K. Segal.
15:34He is a defence expert,
15:36also a member of the Delhi Gymkhana Club.
15:38Also with me is Tara Deshpande, author and actor.
15:41Let me give the first word to Major General P.K. Segal.
15:46Sir, the point that the government is making is pretty simple.
15:50That the land belongs to the government.
15:52It simply wants it back.
15:55They're saying there were a series of violations that were reported, etc.
15:59What exactly is the problem?
16:01Couldn't Jilm Khana move to another location?
16:04Before I answer any of this,
16:06I would like to mention that the way India today is putting in the process is very unfortunate.
16:12In fact, you are acting like a court
16:15and you've almost already given direction against Jilm Khana.
16:19It's very, very unfortunate the way the entire thing is being put across.
16:24Sir, I've just stated what the ruling says at the moment
16:27and I'm giving you the first word nonetheless
16:29to come and state your point of view.
16:32No, that's very, very correct.
16:34But the way the entire thing has been discussed with you for the last five minutes
16:39is clearly indicative that you already made up your mind
16:41to say that Jilm Khana should close down.
16:45Sir, I'm here to just hear your mind.
16:47I haven't made up my mind at all.
16:49But please, sir, go ahead.
16:50Make your point, sir.
16:51I'm not saying that you've made up your mind.
16:54I'm saying that India today has made up their mind.
16:56The way the entire thing has been put across
16:58is absolutely unbecoming.
17:01In fact, it's virtually as if you are the court
17:04and not the court itself.
17:07In fact, 50% of all...
17:09Your point, sir.
17:09Let's come back to the question that I asked.
17:13The question the court,
17:14that really the government is saying at the moment
17:16is that the land belongs to them
17:18and they want it back for purposes.
17:20Is it possible that Jilm Khana Club
17:22could actually move to a separate and a different location?
17:25Well, we are fighting the case in the court
17:27and finally the court will give a decision
17:29whether Jilm Khana Club should move
17:32but not the India Today panel.
17:35And that's why Delhi is concerned
17:3750% of all the land in New Zealand belongs to the government.
17:40It's on perpetual lease.
17:42There are schools here.
17:44The India Habitat Centre, the IIC, etc.
17:46is also...
17:47And you have the modern school,
17:48you have the Siddharth Patel School,
17:51you have the Air Force,
17:53Pal Bharti School.
17:54All of them are on perpetual lease of government.
17:57And all of them actually are in the near vicinity.
18:01Government saying that there's a very sensitive area,
18:03well, it's been sensitive area, not today.
18:06It's been sensitive all along.
18:07And for the last 34 years,
18:09the Prime Minister's residence,
18:10whether it was in Timurthi Bhavan,
18:12was in close vicinity
18:13where there are patrol bombs opposite the club
18:16which pose a greater threat to the organisation
18:20or to the...
18:22Then the Jilm Khana Club,
18:24there's a riding club there,
18:25there's a polo club there,
18:27everything around.
18:28In fact,
18:29the entire Safranjung area itself
18:31is posing a security threat.
18:33Sina Bhavan is about to move
18:35in about a year's time
18:36to a new location
18:37opposite...
18:39Somewhere in a controlment area
18:42opposite the Manikshwa Centre.
18:45And under this circumstance,
18:46enough land is available
18:47for any defence or security proposal
18:50or any public thing.
18:51The very fact that it's being taken over
18:53by the government
18:54does not meet the IE.
18:56You have to be transparent.
18:59There's been no prior warning, etc.
19:00There was no prior indication at all.
19:04And you suddenly issued a letter
19:0648 hours earlier
19:07saying that by 5th of June,
19:09look at this.
19:10It is...
19:1215,000 or 14,000 people
19:13have been members of this club.
19:16In fact,
19:16there are hundreds of officers
19:18of the army,
19:19the navy,
19:20the bureaucrats,
19:21the politicians,
19:22as well as the civilians
19:24who lost all their relatives,
19:27etc.
19:27They come to the club
19:28in the morning
19:29and leave only at night.
19:31It's almost become
19:32a second home to them.
19:33In the twilight years,
19:34they seek company,
19:37they seek companionship
19:38to get over their loneliness.
19:41And the club is also...
19:42It has hosted
19:43Davis Cup in the past,
19:44Davis Cup matches, etc.
19:45It's got beautiful
19:47almost 24 tennis courts
19:51which are the finest in Asia.
19:53It's got grass courts,
19:54it's got hard courts,
19:55it's got flexi courts,
19:56and it's also got squash courts,
19:57etc.
19:58And it's got swimming pools.
19:59It's a heritage institution.
20:00And you cannot destroy
20:01heritages overnight.
20:03The very fact that you suddenly...
20:06Right.
20:07Let me take that question
20:08to Tara Tesh Pandey.
20:09Tara Tesh Pandey,
20:10the question is simple.
20:11It took...
20:12It takes 37 years
20:13to get
20:14sort of membership there.
20:16But it took just 15 days.
20:18That's the time
20:19that's been given
20:20for them to evacuate.
20:21Couldn't the government
20:22have settled in
20:23on a middle ground
20:24spoken to especially
20:25the elderly members
20:26of the club?
20:28Yes, it's ridiculous.
20:31You know,
20:31if the government
20:32had come to some compromise
20:33and appeared reasonable,
20:34they would look
20:35more democratic.
20:36But instead,
20:37expecting them to respond
20:38in such a short period
20:39of time about something
20:40that is so difficult
20:41and so complex in nature
20:43is, I think,
20:44unreasonable.
20:45You know,
20:46there has been
20:48a lot of outrage
20:48on social media
20:49and it's been turned
20:50into an elite
20:51versus not elite issue.
20:53But the truth is,
20:54this is entirely
20:55in my humble opinion
20:56about property
20:57and right to property.
20:59Now, the PM's residence
21:00on Lokal,
21:02Lok Kalyan Mar
21:03came up in the 1980s.
21:07Many, many decades
21:08after the existence
21:09of the Delhi Gymkhana Club.
21:11Right?
21:13For all the years
21:14since then to now,
21:15because the first push
21:17to remove Delhi Gymkhana
21:18from here really happened
21:19in 2016
21:20and the big push
21:21started in 2020.
21:23For all these years,
21:24there have been
21:24no apparent issues
21:25with security
21:26concerning the Delhi Gymkhana
21:28being so close
21:29to the PM's residence.
21:30Now, prior to 1980,
21:32the PM's residences
21:33constantly changed
21:34with every PM.
21:35It was not always
21:36this location.
21:37There was Safdarjang,
21:39there was Janpat,
21:40there was Thinmurti Bhavan.
21:41Now, since Rajiv Gandhi,
21:43the residence has become
21:44a more permanent place
21:45for the PM.
21:46But even after
21:47the assassinations
21:48of the tragic assassinations
21:50of Indira Gandhi
21:51and the late Rajiv Gandhi,
21:53there were no issues
21:55made about there being
21:56a security hazard
21:57or a security problem.
21:59So it seems to me
22:01that really this is
22:02the easiest way
22:03for the government
22:04to expand its properties.
22:06This is extremely
22:07valuable property.
22:08And I think that
22:09a compromise
22:09is always possible.
22:11You know,
22:11this is a historical
22:12legacy club.
22:14It is a very important
22:15part of Luton's Delhi.
22:16And I do believe
22:17that some effort
22:18should be made
22:19to maintain
22:19what is the historic
22:20part of New Delhi.
22:21You know,
22:22China tried to do this
22:23with Shanghai.
22:23They tried to wipe it out.
22:24And even in such
22:25a dictatorial system,
22:26the public really
22:28opposed it.
22:29Right now,
22:30what social media
22:31and its trolls
22:31and bots have done
22:32is they've turned this
22:33into an elite
22:33versus non-elite,
22:35taking away the support
22:36from the general public.
22:37The truth is,
22:38the right of property
22:39is not a fundamental
22:41right in India
22:41because Mrs. Gandhi
22:42changed that
22:43after emergency.
22:44Now,
22:45this basically says
22:46that under any valid law,
22:47the government
22:48can take away
22:48our property.
22:49This means that
22:50the government
22:50can take away
22:51not only property
22:52that is leased
22:52from the government,
22:53whether it's
22:54on a perpetual loose...
22:58Right.
22:58We simply...
22:59Yeah,
23:00go ahead.
23:00Yeah,
23:00I'm sorry.
23:01I think there is.
23:02So it means
23:03that any Nazul
23:05property
23:06which is leased,
23:08the government
23:08can basically
23:09take away from you.
23:10It can take away
23:10WAF property.
23:11It can take away
23:12private property.
23:13So even if you own
23:14a bungalow
23:15or you own
23:16a particular property,
23:17the government
23:17has such
23:18overreaching powers
23:19that it can take
23:20your property
23:21away from you.
23:21And I think
23:22people should
23:22really think
23:23about this
23:23in great detail.
23:24Tomorrow,
23:25someone says,
23:25oh,
23:25this building
23:26in front of
23:26the coastline
23:27which has 72
23:28residents in it
23:29for national security,
23:30we need to
23:30take away
23:30this building.
23:31Even if you own it,
23:33even if it's
23:34freehold land,
23:34the government
23:35can take it
23:35away from you.
23:36This is something
23:37to be deeply
23:37considered.
23:38This is not just
23:39about elite
23:39versus not elite.
23:41But Tara,
23:43there are
23:44continuous
23:45sort of,
23:45you know,
23:47cases that
23:47we've heard of.
23:48I'm looking at
23:49my phone right now
23:49to look at the history.
23:50The club has a
23:51long history
23:52of violations.
23:53There is
23:53unauthorized
23:54borewells,
23:54there is tax
23:55disputes,
23:56liquor license
23:57violations already
23:58under investigation.
24:00The government,
24:01it seems to be
24:02doing what has
24:04been in the
24:04works for a
24:05while.
24:07look,
24:09are you really
24:10telling me that
24:10the moral
24:11outrage
24:13of a government
24:15over,
24:15you know,
24:16violations and
24:17nepotism and
24:17favoritism,
24:18I mean,
24:19who are they to
24:20really point fingers
24:21at anybody when it
24:21comes to this?
24:22Now,
24:23all clubs have
24:24financial difficulties,
24:25especially after the
24:26pandemic.
24:27In a sense,
24:27they are a
24:28hospitality business,
24:29they had no
24:29revenue,
24:30so they have all
24:31run into
24:31difficulties.
24:32Now,
24:32for a property
24:34that is over
24:35100 years old,
24:37obviously,
24:37over time,
24:37there are going
24:38to be issues
24:39and violations.
24:39But this club
24:40has continued to
24:41exist for so long,
24:42they have always
24:43taken the correct
24:45path by going to
24:46court,
24:47doing things the
24:47right way.
24:48I mean,
24:48if the court
24:49eventually did not
24:50rule in their
24:51favor,
24:51they'd be gone
24:51by now.
24:52Now,
24:53mistakes do happen
24:54and the government
24:55very clearly knows
24:56that if you oppose
24:57a particular club
24:59on the basis of
25:00favoritism and
25:01financial irregularity
25:02and, oh,
25:03the rent,
25:04you didn't pay
25:04the arrears,
25:05it is a much
25:06longer battle in
25:07court than clearly
25:08just saying,
25:08oh,
25:08national security
25:09and, you know,
25:10citing Defense Act
25:11and citing Requisition
25:13Act because that
25:14is such an
25:16impermeable barrier,
25:17that is such a
25:18big wall,
25:19you can't even ask
25:19them what defense,
25:21what national
25:22strategy because
25:22you'll be met
25:23with the British
25:23equivalent of
25:24Official Secrets
25:25Act, no?
25:25You'll be told we
25:26can't tell you
25:27what it is.
25:27Now,
25:28the PM's residents
25:29came opposite
25:31this property
25:31in 1980.
25:32This property
25:33had already been
25:33in existence
25:34for how many
25:34years?
25:35So obviously
25:36that period of
25:36time they didn't
25:37think it was
25:37a security hazard,
25:39no?
25:39Even after
25:40Rajiv Gandhi's
25:41assassination,
25:42they didn't
25:42think it was
25:42a security hazard.
25:44Now suddenly
25:44it has become
25:45a security hazard.
25:46I mean,
25:46the Prime Minister,
25:47security is the
25:48most important
25:48thing in the
25:49country.
25:49No arguments
25:50about that at
25:50all.
25:51But doesn't
25:51it seem odd
25:52to you that
25:53now this act
25:54is being used?
25:55Let me go
25:56back to
25:57Major General
25:57Segal and
25:58we've got a
25:59soundbite coming
26:00in from the
26:01government side
26:01as well.
26:02We'll try and
26:02play that out
26:04also in a bit.
26:05But Major
26:07General Segal,
26:08I just want to
26:08understand this
26:09from you.
26:09The argument
26:10made primarily
26:11is that this
26:11was a very
26:12elitist club.
26:13It was only
26:14there for the
26:14few.
26:15It was passed
26:16on within the
26:16family.
26:17It's not just
26:19exclusive in the
26:20way that it
26:21excludes everybody
26:22else.
26:24How did
26:25it come to
26:25this?
26:27Despite
26:27successive
26:28changes that
26:28we've seen in
26:29Gymkhana Club
26:30happen in the
26:30past couple of
26:31years, how do
26:32you think it
26:32arrived here?
26:34Well, I've
26:35never been on
26:35the part of
26:36committee.
26:36I have no
26:37idea how this
26:37has come about.
26:38But all I dare
26:39say is that
26:39every single
26:40club in India
26:41IAC, I have
26:42a member of
26:43IAC also, it
26:44took me almost
26:4425 to 30
26:45years to get
26:45membership for
26:46IAC.
26:47And there are
26:47certain rules
26:48and regulations
26:48that's why
26:49Gymkhana is
26:50concerned and
26:51they are very
26:51well known
26:52as IAC is
26:53concerned, there
26:54are no rules
26:54and regulations
26:55that are known.
26:56You certainly
26:56keep filing the
26:57application and
26:58keep getting
26:58rejected.
26:59There's no
26:59reason why, you
27:00are not even
27:01told why the
27:01application is
27:02being rejected.
27:03India
27:03Emirates
27:03Centre is
27:04something
27:04similar.
27:05Gymkhana,
27:05Chems
27:06Club is
27:06something
27:07similar.
27:09Bombay
27:10Gymkhana is
27:10something
27:10similar.
27:11Cricket
27:11Club of
27:11India is
27:12something
27:12similar.
27:13All these
27:14clubs are
27:14basically
27:15elitist
27:15clubs, etc.
27:16Either you
27:17can be
27:17there or
27:18you cannot
27:18be there.
27:19Now by
27:20holding it
27:21again, and
27:21then I
27:21want to
27:22say that
27:23the entire
27:24Connaught Place
27:24area, 100%
27:25of shops in
27:26Connaught Place
27:26area are
27:27on perpetual
27:28lease.
27:28100% shops
27:29in Khan
27:32market, 100%
27:34shops in
27:35Nehru place
27:35are on
27:36perpetual
27:36lease.
27:37Almost 50%
27:38of the entire
27:38Delhi, Jyotan
27:39Delhi are on
27:40perpetual
27:40lease.
27:41The government
27:41has to be
27:41transparent.
27:42The government
27:43has to be
27:44absolutely clear
27:45and transparent.
27:48this thing
27:49poses a
27:50security risk.
27:50Firstly, the
27:51prime minister's
27:51residence itself
27:52is under
27:52move.
27:53It will
27:53be next
27:54year.
27:54It will
27:54be
27:54different
27:55locations.
27:55It's not
27:55going to
27:56be there.
27:57As far as
27:58the defense
27:59project or
28:00infrastructure is
28:00concerned,
28:01Seda
28:01is moving
28:01out.
28:02There's a
28:02huge amount
28:02of area
28:02that is
28:03going to
28:03be available
28:04there.
28:04So carrying
28:04out any
28:05projects.
28:06General Segal,
28:07hold that
28:08thought.
28:08Because while
28:09we've heard
28:09you and
28:10Tara, I
28:10do want to
28:11play out for
28:11our viewers
28:12what the
28:12government
28:13is saying
28:13on the
28:13other
28:14side.
28:14Here,
28:15listen in
28:16carefully to
28:17how they
28:17perceive
28:17the matter.
28:18So again,
28:20Narendra Modi
28:21has done
28:22a very
28:23big surgical
28:23mindset
28:24and
28:24colonial
28:25legacy
28:25and
28:26big
28:26surgical
28:27strike
28:27and
28:28this
28:28time
28:28Delhi
28:29Gymkhana
28:30Club
28:30which was
28:31built in
28:321913
28:32and
28:33started
28:34as
28:34imperial
28:35Gymkhana
28:36Club
28:36for
28:37British
28:38colonial
28:38officers
28:39who
28:40are
28:42British
28:44civil
28:45servants
28:45built
28:471913
28:48and
28:49see
28:49how
28:50big
28:50club
28:51is
28:51right
28:51next
28:51to
28:52Prime
28:52Minister's
28:52Residence
28:53which
28:53is
28:54called
28:54the
28:54people
28:55who
28:55are
28:55in
28:56the
28:56world
28:57where
28:5827
28:58acres
28:59on
28:59this
29:00club
29:01which
29:01has
29:02members
29:02only
29:04and
29:045,600
29:06members
29:06are
29:07in
29:07which
29:08are
29:08in this country, there are 5,000 people in this elite club, which means that you have to be a
29:19member of 30-40 years, then you can be a member of the country.
29:23This is a hereditary, dynasty, nepotistic, like Rahul Gandhi's party.
29:28So, this is a big club, which is in 27 acres, which means that you have to be a member
29:39of 1,000 rupees.
29:42This is such a big club, which is in 27 acres, in the prime heart of Delhi, which is 1
29:50,000 rupees per month.
30:00So, that's the story of the Delhi Gymkhana Club. The courts will be deciding its future.
30:06But talking about courts, let's move to the other big case, which has now landed up at the doorstep of
30:10the Supreme Court.
30:11The Supreme Court has now stepped into the Trisha Sharma death case, welcoming the CBI probe,
30:15also warning against a media trial, urging both sides to avoid making any public statements as the investigation gathers space.
30:25What exactly is happening and what will Supreme Court jumping into the matter, you know, mean for the case itself?
30:33Anisha Mathur reports.
30:42Justice for Twisha Chorus is now louder than ever.
30:47A day after Twisha Sharma was cremated, the Supreme Court took up the death of the 33-year-old,
30:53who was found hanging at her in-law's house in Bhopal on May 12.
30:58A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joy Mala Bakchi and Vipul M Pancholi heard the matter on
31:06Monday.
31:09Warning against a media trial, the court observed the strong narrative had been created,
31:15suggesting a fair and impartial investigation was being undermined due to the involvement of a former judge.
31:21Amid serious allegations of dowry harassment, evidence tampering and institutional bias,
31:28the court has welcomed the CBI probe ordered by the Madhya Pradesh government.
31:33The top court also urged both sides to avoid media statements and record versions before the investigating agency.
31:41The Supreme Court's intervention has been welcomed by Twisha's family.
32:08The court also directed media to observe restraint while reporting developments in the case, as probe was underway.
32:15Your report, India today.
32:21Alright, the Twisha case now, who will really get to understand the truth behind it.
32:25We'll keep track on that as well.
32:28We talk about Delhi's pollution every winter, right?
32:32The smog, the stubble burning, the firecrackers.
32:35But look at what has been happening this May, right now in the thick of summer.
32:43Let me pull up a graphic for you, which will show you the last 10 days in Delhi and the
32:48AQI it has had.
32:50Look at those numbers.
32:52152, 176, 174, 173, 208.
32:57The list is long.
32:58We pulled up this data from May 15th to May 24th.
33:03And what you will notice is that not one day AQI is 150.
33:11In fact, in a couple of days it went up to 200, which is why Grap 1 was also imposed.
33:15The safety limit here, by the way, just to remind you, by the WHO is 50.
33:22So what's happening?
33:24What exactly are the pollutants in our air right now?
33:29At the moment, it is dust.
33:34It is heat.
33:37Let's try and unpack this.
33:39Now this is not winter pollution.
33:41This is summer pollution.
33:42And nobody seems to be talking about it.
33:45But where is all this dust coming from?
33:49And what is all this pollution and dust really doing to your body?
33:53Let's find that out.
33:55Now the answer to that starts with the heat itself.
33:58When the temperatures cross 40 degrees, the soil dries out completely.
34:03Every paved, you know, unpaved road, every open construction site, bare patches of land, they become a source.
34:09The wind picks it up and throws it into the air you breathe.
34:13And it's not just local dust.
34:15Storms carry particles all the way from Tha desert into Delhi.
34:19Then the heat traps everything close to the ground.
34:22It's called ground ozone.
34:24And then there's just nowhere for it to go at all.
34:27On the worst days this season, Delhi's PM10 levels hit 26 times more than the safety limit.
34:36Not double, not triple.
34:3826 times.
34:40And here is what that means for your body.
34:42The coarser dust particles, they hit first.
34:45Your eyes, nose, throat.
34:46Have you noticed how many people these days are talking of allergies and are coughing
34:50with a very, you know, funny dry cough that we usually get during winter pollution?
34:56Draw the connection.
34:58You feel irritation because you understand what is happening.
35:01The finer particles go deeper into the lungs.
35:05With long enough exposure, that means chronic bronchitis, damaged lung tissue and in serious cases, even heart attacks.
35:13Studies from Indian cities now show that PM10 exposure is linked to over 55% of heart diseases that happen
35:22during this time of the year in adults.
35:26Now remember, winter, we used to have odd even, then there is grap.
35:30Winter also has a national conversation.
35:33Everybody gets their mask up.
35:34We put on our air purifiers at home.
35:36But summer, summer has hardly any of it.
35:40The dust arrives, the numbers spike.
35:43Most people just assume that monsoon will fix it.
35:46But the damage does not wait for the rain.
35:48And right now, every day you step outside in Delhi, you are breathing all that dust in.
35:56And please remember, we've been saying this here on India Today repeatedly.
36:01Pollution is not a Delhi problem.
36:03Pollution is not a winter problem.
36:06It is a 24-7 problem that the whole country faces.
36:11Delhi, of course, faces the maximum brunt of it.
36:17Let those numbers sink in and think about summer pollution before you step out the next.
36:22Now, for years, Indians have been chasing the American dream endured and also endured those endless green card backlogs.
36:29But now, proposed new U.S. immigration rules could make the process even more tougher,
36:36with many applicants now potentially forced to leave America while their residency is being processed.
36:44They are now expected to go back to their home country, process the formalities there and come back.
36:51How exactly will this play out?
36:52The next report takes you through it.
37:00For lakhs of Indians living the American dream, the road to a U.S. green card was always long, frustrating
37:07and painfully slow.
37:10But now, Washington has changed the rules of the game entirely.
37:17The United States government has proposed sweeping new green card processing rules,
37:22rules that immigration lawyers say could hit Indian professionals harder than almost any other community in America.
37:30And suddenly, for many Indians in the United States, the journey from H-1B visa to permanent residency looks less
37:37like a highway and more like a maze with moving walls.
37:42Till now, most Indians living in America on H-1B visas could apply for a green card while staying inside
37:49the United States.
37:50That process is called adjustment of status.
37:53You work legally in America, you wait your turn and eventually you become a permanent resident.
38:01But under the proposed changes, most applicants will now be forced to leave the United States, return to their home
38:08country and complete green card processing from there instead.
38:12The memo PP602-0199 also tightens the rules with an explicit list of negative factors which could hurt the issue
38:20of a green card.
38:25These include violation of immigration laws, fraud or false testimony with any government agency, any conduct after entry inconsistent with
38:34the purpose of visa and failure to depart as originally expected.
38:40USCIS, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services made it clear in the memo that the system is designed for
38:46non-immigrants to leave the country when the visit is over, adding that the visit could not function as the
38:52first step in the green card process.
38:56The move is spreading panic among Indian professionals in America.
38:59Experts estimate that more than 12 lakh Indians, including spouses and children, are already stuck in America's employment-based green
39:07card backlog.
39:09Many have spent as much as 20 years waiting for permanent residency.
39:13They've bought homes, built careers, raised children, paid taxes, planned their entire lives around the assumption that eventually their American
39:21dream would be a reality.
39:22But now, immigration lawyers warn that the very fact that these applicants stayed in the US for years while waiting
39:29could itself face greater scrutiny.
39:33The past three years have seen more than a million green cards being issued every year.
39:38The numbers spiked in 2024.
39:40Importantly, more than half of the cards have been issued to applicants already living in the US as an adjustment
39:46in status.
39:47The clampdown on legal immigration is not happening in isolation.
39:51America is also tightening H-1B visa rules.
39:54The H-1B system, heavily dominated by Indians, is already seeing stricter scrutiny,
39:59rising compliance checks, higher salary preference and growing uncertainty around approvals.
40:06For Indian tech workers, the message feels unmistakable.
40:10Getting into America is becoming harder.
40:12Staying in America is becoming riskier.
40:14And settling permanently in America may now become dramatically slower and more unpredictable.
40:22The impact goes beyond workers.
40:25Thousands of Indian spouses living in America on H-4 visas also face uncertainty.
40:30Many H-4 spouses currently work legally in the US through special work permits linked to the green card process.
40:37But if applicants are forced to leave America during processing, careers may pause.
40:42Families may separate and children could face disruptions in education and immigration status.
40:47There is still uncertainty over how aggressively these rules will finally be implemented.
40:53Immigration lawyers expect legal challenges with the matter expected to be dragged to court any time.
40:59But one thing is already clear.
41:01For Indians in America, the old immigration roadmap is no longer reliable.
41:05And for lax chasing the American dream, the finish line may have just moved even farther away.
41:13Bureau Report, Business Today TV.
41:39Bureau Report, Business Today TV.
41:41In Africa, the 12th and receiving the honour.
41:43We'll leave you with these visuals.
41:47Stayed tuned to India today.
41:48Lots more coming up.
41:51.
41:57.
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