The Delhi High Court has placed in abeyance the eviction order issued by the Land and Development Office against Akshara Theatre, temporarily protecting the 0.762 acre Central Delhi plot from being taken over for the expansion of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital.
In its September 25 order, the court noted that the Estate Officer had passed the final eviction order even though Akshara’s challenge to the proceedings was pending before the High Court. The court, citing the “peculiar circumstances” in which the proceedings had unfolded, directed that the eviction order remains in abeyance. The matter will be next heard on October 8.
The Centre is seeking the Baba Kharak Singh Marg land for RML’s expansion, with the L&DO describing it as “critically required” for hospital facilities, including integration with the proposed CGHS wing and Super Speciality Block.
For Akshara, however, the issue is not simply about shifting a building to another location.
“It is not just relocation of a physical structure. It is much more than that,” said Anasuya Vaidya, daughter of the founders of Akshara and a director of the theatre.
Vaidya said the theatre has become a space particularly for young and emerging artists, including those involved in innovative theatre and stand-up comedy, while generations of children have attended its workshops and performed on its stage.
“We have literally had hundreds or thousands of students who have passed through Akshara, who have learned from Akshara,” she said.
Among the institution’s longstanding activities is its work around the Ramayana. Vaidya said children between four and 16 attend its workshops and that some families now have a second generation of children associated with the theatre after their parents studied there.
The impact, she said, would also extend to people working behind the stage.
Akshara has craftsmen associated with its woodwork, stonework and metalwork, with Vaidya saying three generations of some craftsmen’s families have worked with the institution.
The theatre’s association with the founding family also spans generations. Vaidya said she has been associated with Akshara since she was 12 and is now 66, while her children also learnt and performed there.
‘Theatre has to be accessible to its audience’
Akshara has occupied the plot under a perpetual lease since 1984. The L&DO has said the land is required for RML’s expansion, including integration with the proposed CGHS wing and Super Speciality Block.
Asked whether Akshara would consider relocation or another arrangement if such an option were offered, Vaidya said there had been no such discussion so far.
“There has been no discussion on relocation, so I really don’t know what to say,” she said.
She added that location was important to the institution’s functioning as a public theatre.
“We are a theatre institution. We have to be in a place where audiences can come to us. We are a public institution. The public has to be able to reach us.”
The High Court order followed Akshara’s challenge to proceedings under the Public Premises Act. The theatre told the court that it was not permitted to make oral submissions before the Estate Officer on September 22 and 24 and that the matter had been reserved for orders on September 24. It said it learnt the following day that a final eviction order had been passed.
The court recorded that the Estate Officer proceeded to pass the final order while the High Court challenge was pending and directed that the order remain in abeyance. The Union government has been given a week to file its reply, followed by three days for a rejoinder. The next hearing is set on October 8.
For Akshara, the immediate concern is therefore not only whether the 0.762 acre plot will eventually be retained, but whether a cultural institution built over five decades can be reproduced elsewhere.
For the government, the competing consideration is the stated requirement of land for expanding a major public hospital.
The court is yet to decide the legal challenge. The larger question of what specific infrastructure requires the Akshara plot and how it fits into RML’s wider expansion plan remains separate from the theatre’s account of what could be lost if it is required to leave.
