Mumbai: The Supreme Court has dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by a Mumbai-based church organisation regarding the dispute over the transfer of the Wilson College Gymkhana lease to the Jain community, noting that the Bombay High Court is already seized of the matter. The apex court directed the High Court to hear the petition on the scheduled date of 11 February, citing the urgency of the situation.
The SLP was filed by the United Church of North India Trust Association (UCNITA), which had challenged the Maharashtra government's decision to transfer the 1.02 lakh sq. ft. gymkhana ground’s lease from Wilson College to the Jain International Organisation (JIO).
Prior to the state government’s transfer of the lease to JIO on 16 March 2024, the playground was leased by UCNITA and managed by the John Wilson Education Society, which oversees the historic college. The District Collector took possession of the land on 5 December 2023, after the college reportedly lost the lease due to alleged violations.
The Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal subsequently dismissed UCNITA’s appeal on 11 March 2024. Two factions of UCNITA challenged this cancellation in the Bombay High Court, which last heard the matter on 14 January 2026.
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With the High Court's next hearing scheduled for 11 February, UCNITA approached the Supreme Court via an SLP, citing concerns that the gymkhana's heritage-listed building might be demolished before the High Court could hear the petition.
The Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi, stated that since the High Court is currently handling the matter and the case is listed for 11 February, it was not inclined to entertain the petition at this stage.
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