Wilson alumni unite for Gymkhana

Allegations of arbitrary decision-making and lack of due process; many people have expressed discontent over fees paid for gymkhana without getting sporting facilities

- MANOJ RAMAKRISHNAN

The alumni association of Wilson College, Chowpatty, has filed an interim application in the Bombay High Court, seeking their inclusion in the writ petition filed by the college trust against the District Collector’s order in December 2023 that cancelled the lease to its Marine Drive gymkhana.

The interim application, filed by advocate Rajan Jayakar, president of the Wilson College Alumni Association, has alleged that the District Collector’s order was ‘arbitrary’, and was taken ‘without following due process of law’. The association said it did not have the time to collect and collate documents to file its petition and had no alternative but to file the interim application. The association said that it supported the college in its efforts to get back the ground for the benefit of the student fraternity. The association said that they had used the facilities at the gymkhana for cricket, football, table tennis, carrom, and other sports. The application says that students are not in a position to redress their grievances as a group, and the applicant is entitled to represent the past, present, and future students who would be perpetually deprived of sporting facilities.