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

Staff and students of Wilson College register their protest at the Wilson College Gymkhana ground on Monday. PIC/ADITI ALURKAR

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 facility's signboard was taken down on Monday morning. The state government had, in 2024, controversially given the lease of this plot to JIO for 30 years.

The controversy

The Wilson College Gymkhana, after its signboard was taken down. PIC/ADITI ALURKAR

The 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. "We 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 Christmas," said Dr Jamson Masih, principal-in-charge of Wilson College.

JIO's gymkhana plans

In the meantime, members of the JIO told mid-day, "Our 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 gymkhana."

Professor speaks

Wilson College students avail themselves of the facility for sporting activities in 2024. PIC/By Special Arrangement

"Until 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 others," said Prof Ratnakar Shetty, connected with Wilson Gymkhana for over three decades.

Irked 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. "I have been with the college for the past 30 years, having seen various sports days and our contributions to sports like football and cricket. It's not fair to snatch the ground from students, especially when it was given to them in the first place," a veteran teacher told mid-day. 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 well.

Wilson students, who were present at the gymkhana this morning, said the loss of a sports arena would have adverse effects. "I 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, I've now started gaining weight because there are limited spaces to play sports," said a 19-year-old.

Management's statement

Lal Bahadur Kamble, managing director of United Church of North Indian Trust Association and secretary of the John Wilson Education Society, said, "There 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 2025." mid-day reached out to the resident deputy collector's office but could not get a response by press time.

January 6
Day high court hearing in matter is to be held