On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favor of the central government, granting it immunity from eviction regarding properties in Sujan Singh Park, an upscale area in New Delhi. The Court found that the relationship between the Centre and the lessee, Sir Sobha Singh & Sons Pvt Ltd, is governed by a pre-Independence government grant rather than the Delhi Rent Control (DRC) Act. This decision comes after a lengthy legal battle that began when the Centre defaulted on rent payments between 1989 and 1991, leading to eviction petitions filed by the lessee. The Court's ruling overturned earlier decisions by both the Rent Controller Tribunal and the Delhi High Court, which had upheld the eviction based on the DRC Act. The Supreme Court clarified that the DRC Act does not apply to leases originating from government grants, asserting that the eviction proceedings were fundamentally flawed. The Centre had been paying ₹2,400 (approximately $30 USD) per month for each flat but had accumulated arrears totaling ₹63,360 (around $780 USD). The Court emphasized that the lease's stipulations must be honored, and there is no provision for eviction due to non-payment of rent under the existing lease agreement.