Mumbai News: Wilson College Community Gathers At Azad Maidan To Protest Gymkhana Handover

Bishops, pastors, and members of the Church of North India joined students, teachers, and alumni of Wilson College and associated institutions at a gathering at Azad Maidan on Monday to protest against the Maharashtra government's decision to hand over the Wilson College Gymkhana on Marine Drive to the Jain community.

Priests Demand Gymkhana Return
Rev. Rajendra Dive, a priest from Christ Church in Walunj near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, was among those who travelled to Mumbai to take part in the protest. "We want the government to return the gymkhana to Wilson College," said Dive.

Teachers Show Solidarity
A group of teachers from the 150-year-old Ethel Gordon Junior College of Education, Pune, were there to express solidarity with the students and staff of Wilson College. "Our institution is part of the John Wilson Education Society (the trust that manages Wilson College) and we are concerned about the government's decision," said one of the teachers.

Bishops Raise Minority Concerns
Rev. Prabhu Duraisamy Jebamani, Bishop of Mumbai (Church of North India), said that the government decision has affected two religious minorities. "We are a religious minority and the government has taken the gymkhana and handed it over to the Jains, another religious minority. This is not good," said Jebamani. "The government should have approached the Christian community when the lease was over instead of just assigning it to another group. The land is meant to be used for sports; by handing it over to a group that is not involved in sports activities, the government has taken away a sports ground from the public."

Students Protest Lease Transfer
Students from Wilson College, one of India's oldest educational institutions, having been established in 1832, joined the protests in large numbers. Praharsh Kashyap, a student in mass media, said, "Our teachers told us that our college ground has been forcefully taken away from us. We need the ground to enhance our sports culture and will do whatever we can to get the land back."

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Student Voices on Maintenance
Sai Zadi, who is pursuing a degree in business, said that the ground was neglected because of the dispute. "Students need a place for sports and college events. Our college campus is not spacious. If we get the land back, we will take the responsibility to maintain it," said Zadi.

Advocate Demands Sports Use
Cyril Dara, advocate and convener of the protest, said that the gymkhana is being handed over to a third party by depriving students, citizens, and youth access to the ground. "We are protesting to ensure that the government hands over the gymkhana back to the concerned authorities who will use it only for sports purposes," said Dara.

Background of Lease Dispute
Before the state government’s transfer of the lease on the ground to the Jain International Organisation (JIO) on March 16, 2024, the 1.02 lakh sq ft playground was leased by the United Church of Northern India Trust Association (UCNITA) and managed by the John Wilson Education Society. The college lost the lease after being accused of violating terms under the agreement. The district collector took possession of the land on December 5, 2023. This was challenged by UCNITA before the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal Court, which on March 11, 2024, dismissed the appeal and confirmed the order of the district collector.

Ongoing Court Battle
Two UCNITAs, both claiming to be the leaseholder, challenged the cancellation of the agreement in the Bombay High Court, which is still hearing the matter. A Special Leave Petition filed in the Supreme Court by one of the UCNITAs is expected to come up for hearing on Wednesday.

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Spokesperson Appeals to Courts
Lal Bahadur Kamble, spokesperson for UCNITA, said, "We approached the Bombay High Court after the ground was forcefully taken into possession. The court will hear the matter only next week. However, the matter is urgent and we want to ensure that the Wilson College Gymkhana building is not demolished in the meantime. We had no other remedy than to approach the Supreme Court."

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