Wilson College staff, students gather as Gymkhana ground signboard is taken down

In a show of solidarity months after the contested Wilson College Gymkhana ground was handed over to the Jain International Organisation JIO senior staff teachers and students of Wilson College assembled at the open space opposite Marine Drive as the facilityrsquos signboard was taken down on Monday morning The state government had in 2024 controversially given the lease of this plot to JIO for 30 yearsThe controversyThe Wilson College Gymkhana after its signboard was taken down PICADITI ALURKARThe state government had in 2024 given the lease of this plot to JIO for 30 years Contesting this decision the college authorities subsequently filed a civil writ petition in the Bombay High Court ldquoWe are told that the matter is sub judice In fact we are expecting a hearing tomorrow Tuesday and are hoping for a fair decision This matter had us visiting the police station in late December when we were supposed to be celebrating Christmasrdquo said Dr Jamson Masih principalincharge of Wilson CollegeJIOs gymkhana plansIn the meantime members of the JIO told midday ldquoOur group has been paying the lease for the plot for the past two years already and has all the documents required to prove ownership of the land lease We intend to use our gymkhana for sporting activities for the benefit of Mumbai schools that lack a ground to conduct annual day functions We are also looking at conducting Jain cricket tournaments in line with the spirit of the gymkhanardquoProfessor speaksWilson College students avail themselves of the facility for sporting activities in 2024 PICBy Special ArrangementldquoUntil these controversies arose the Wilson Gymkhana was in consistent use for practising sports like football hockey and cricket by students and civilians in and out of college In fact even during the World Wars the gymkhana continued to be used for sports and the authorities did not set up any tents there The onus lies equally with the management since the gymkhana was rented out for commercial activities and not maintained to the mark However we must also note that Wilson Gymkhana was meant for student welfare and did not charge memberships like othersrdquo said Prof Ratnakar Shetty connected with Wilson Gymkhana for over three decadesIrked by the prospect of losing the gymkhana teachers of Wilson College founded in 1832 believe that handing it over goes against the New Education Policy launched by the same government ldquoI have been with the college for the past 30 years having seen various sports days and our contributions to sports like football and cricket Itrsquos not fair to snatch the ground from students especially when it was given to them in the first placerdquo a veteran teacher told midday Another teacher stated that the gymkhana was always available to Girgaonkars who wanted to practise sports free of charge Now the doors may be closed to college grounds as wellWilson students who were present at the gymkhana this morning said the loss of a sports arena would have adverse effects ldquoI used to be an avid football player before I moved to Mumbai but now I cannot play You need sports as an outlet to clear your head In fact Irsquove now started gaining weight because there are limited spaces to play sportsrdquo said a 19yearoldManagementrsquos statementLal Bahadur Kamble managing director of United Church of North Indian Trust Association and secretary of the John Wilson Education Society said ldquoThere have been no defaults while paying up the lease rents During the transfer we were told that the gymkhana should not have been given out for commercial use but we were not given any warnings or penalties for the same before We submitted all the challans to the state too While the gymkhana grounds lay unused during the pandemic we resumed all the activities later and even levelled the land in 2025rdquo midday reached out to the resident deputy collectorrsquos office but could not get a response by press timeJanuary 6Day high court hearing in matter is to be held