- High Court: ‘First come, first served’ unfair for public ground allotments.
- Court orders: DUSIB to frame comprehensive, transparent annual allotment guidelines.
- New guidelines mandate transparent criteria, public notices, and grievance redressal.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that a “first come, first served” policy cannot be the sole criterion for allotting public grounds for Ramleela and other cultural or religious events, observing that the approach could create unequal opportunities for applicants and may not satisfy constitutional standards of fairness.
Justice Amit Mahajan said that being the first to apply does not necessarily give an applicant the strongest claim to a public facility. The court directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to review its existing instructions and frame comprehensive annual guidelines for allocating grounds.
“The determinacy of a criterion and its inherent rationality are two distinct questions,” the court observed, explaining that a policy cannot be justified merely because the date and time of an application’s receipt can be objectively established, ANI reported.
The court also warned that the first-come-first-served approach could create an “unequal race for information”, favouring applicants with privileged access to administrative information about the availability of public grounds.
Delhi HC Directs DUSIB To Frame Annual Allotment Guidelines
The observations came while the court was hearing a petition filed by Rays of New Beginning Foundation, which challenged the rejection of its application for Chunk-C Ground at Shivaji Place in Raja Garden, West Delhi, for its annual Ramleela Dussehra Mahotsav.
The court declined to cancel the existing allotment or transfer the ground to the foundation for the 2026 festivities. However, it directed the authorities to establish a transparent and structured process for future allotments.
Under the directions, the authorities must publish an annual site-allocation notice at least 90 days before the first scheduled event. The notice must identify available grounds, booking dates, eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, applicable charges and the procedure for filing objections.
Applications for the same site and booking period should ordinarily be invited within a common, predetermined window. If multiple eligible applicants seek the same ground, their claims must be assessed using a predetermined and published scoring matrix or other transparent criteria.
The guidelines must also provide a grievance-redressal mechanism and ensure that allotments and routine grievance proceedings are completed sufficiently before the events begin.
Court Warns Against Repeated Allotments Creating A Monopoly
The High Court cautioned against a de facto monopoly arising from the repeated allotment of the same ground to organisations that had organised festivities there in previous years.
It said continuity and experience could be relevant considerations but should not determine the outcome regardless of competing claims. An organisation with a satisfactory compliance record may receive limited preference, the court observed, but this cannot create an automatic right to allotment.
Where other eligible applicants compete for the same site, preference for a previous organiser should not extend beyond two consecutive years. Competing applications must be assessed on merit.
Safety And Crowd-Management Plans May Be Required
The court said the authorities could require applicants to submit detailed operational plans covering crowd capacity, entry and exit arrangements, emergency response, fire and electrical safety, sanitation, traffic and parking management, accessibility, waste removal and restoration of the ground.
It also warned that uncertainty over when the booking process opens could give some applicants an advantage, even in the absence of actual favouritism.
A race to apply early could encourage organisations to submit applications months before an event without preparing complete proposals addressing crowd management, emergency arrangements and safety requirements, the court noted.
Foundation Challenged Rejection Of Its 2026 Application
The foundation had organised its Ramleela Dussehra Mahotsav at the ground in 2023 and 2024 after securing allotments from the authorities. It applied on May 26, 2026, seeking permission to use the site from September 25 to November 8.
After its representations went unanswered, the foundation approached the High Court. On September 22, the court directed the authorities to decide its application.
The application was rejected on September 28. The authorities cited the High Level Coordination Committee guidelines and said allotments were made on a first-come-first-served basis. They stated that another applicant had applied on April 10, earlier than the foundation’s application, which they recorded as having been received on May 27.
The foundation argued that the Delhi Development Authority’s standard operating procedure, issued on September 1, provided preference to societies that had organised festivities at the same site in preceding years, subject to proof of booking for two years out of the previous three. It contended that the authorities had departed from the prescribed procedure by relying on the first-come-first-served principle.
Court Flags Lack Of Clarity In Booking Process
The High Court noted that no public notice had specified the application window or informed applicants that allotment would be determined on a first-come-first-served basis.
It also flagged the lack of clarity arising from applications received in April and May, months before the DDA issued its standard operating procedure in September. The court said the relationship between the earlier applications, the applicable committee guidelines and the subsequently notified procedure required an objective explanation.
The court clarified that its directions to revise the allotment policy would apply prospectively. They would neither retrospectively change the rules applicable to the 2026 season nor predetermine applicants’ rights under the existing policy.
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