A status quo was ordered by the civil court and the government was restrained from re-entry, even as the case dragged on till 2009.Putting a halt to the Centre’s decision to immediately take over the northern part of Sujan Singh Park complex, which also includes the Ambassador hotel, the Delhi High Court on Monday directed that status quo shall be maintained till an appeal by Sir Sobha Singh and Sons — the real estate company that built and runs the complex — is disposed of.Justice Neena Bansal Krishna also clarified that a district court’s order, which had paved the way for the government to issue an eviction notice under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, “shall not form the basis for the initiation or continuation of proceedings” under the Act. This effectively puts a halt to the government’s bid to take over the premises.Sir Sobha Singh and Sons has been locked in litigation with the government since 1960 — nearly seven decades now. The Ambassador Hotel started operating in 1950.According to the real estate firm, the northern block of Sujan Singh Park was built under a registered Agreement to Lease of October 8, 1945, with one of the clauses being that the government would execute a perpetual lease with Sir Sobha Singh and Sons once the buildings were complete. Under the terms of the deed, the lessee, Sir Sobha Singh and Sons, was obligated to construct residential blocks including three “for officials and non-officials of good standing”.Also Read | In Delhi CM’s constituency, mixed response on scheme for financial aid for womenHowever, in 1960, the government alleged misuse and breaches and sought re-entry in the form of termination of the agreement, following which Sir Sobha Singh and Sons had moved a civil court with a suit seeking an injunction.A status quo was ordered by the civil court and the government was restrained from re-entry, even as the case dragged on till 2009. In August 2009, the civil court ruled that the building was constructed as per the government’s instructions and that there was no misuse. The government had then challenged this verdict before a district court. The district court on July 9 this year, however, overturned the civil court’s order.A day before the district court’s order was made public on June 12, the government issued an eviction notice, terming the company an “unauthorised occupant” and seeking possession of the land.Story continues below this adJustice Krishna, while ordering a status quo, reasoned that the property has remained in use for several decades since the 1960s. “The impact of the impugned judgment [of the district court] would not only affect the rights of the Appellant (Sir Sobha Singh and Sons), but may also affect numerous persons residing in the flats constructed in the suit property … For the same reasons, irreparable loss and injury may be caused not only to the Appellant but also to the occupants of the suit property. On the other hand, considering that the litigation has remained pending since the year 1960, preservation of the existing position till the final adjudication of the disputes would not cause any irreparable loss or injury to the Respondent (government), particularly when no immediate public interest requiring disturbance of possession has been pleaded,” the HC said.Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:delhi HC