Now, Ambassador Hotel moves Delhi High Court over Centre's eviction notice

A nearly seven-decade-old dispute over Delhi’s iconic Ambassador Hotel has reached the Delhi High Court, with the hotel's owners stating that the Central government has issued an eviction notice to them under the Public Premises (Eviction Of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 (PP Act).  

Sir Sobha Singh & Sons Private Limited - the company that owns the hotel - has approached the High Court against the June 9, 2026, order of the appellate court overturning a 2009 decree in its favour. 

According to the company, the Land and Development Officer (L&DO) issued an eviction notice on June 11, just two days after the appellate court ruling.  

Justice Tejas Karia heard the matter on June 17 and admitted the appeal against the appellate court order. 

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi appeared for the company and argued that there is an imminent threat of eviction in view of the notice issued by the government. He also asked the Court for a stay on the notice. 

Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Ashish Dixit appeared for the government and argued that the notice under the PP Act is independent of the judgment of the appellate court and deals only with the alleged unauthorised occupation.

Dixit also made a statement that the proceedings under the PP Act shall be conducted without reference to the impugned judgment. 

Justice Karia took the statement on record and said that, in view of this, no interim orders were required at this stage. 

The matter will be heard next on July 23. 

The dispute concerns the northern block of Sujan Singh Park, next to Khan Market in Delhi. The Ambassador Hotel and some flats were developed by the appellant company on two plots of land, around 7.58 acres each, allotted by the Government of India in 1943.

According to the company, under a 1945 agreement to lease, the government promised a perpetual lease upon completion of the project. The company claims that the government approved and participated in the construction, including the hotel block. 

However, in 1959, the government alleged misuse because of the construction of the hotel block and, in 1960, purportedly re-entered the entire land.

The company immediately sued, obtaining an injunction the same year. The injunction continued till 2009 when a trial court ruled in the company’s favour. The court held that the construction was lawful and ordered the government to execute a perpetual lease. 

The government challenged the order, and the appellate court set it aside on June 9, 2026. Two days later, the government issued an eviction notice to the company under the PP Act.