The Delhi High Court has held that the Delhi Development Authority’s ‘first come, first served’ policy for allocating public grounds for Ramlila and similar cultural and religious events is arbitrary and legally unacceptable, warning that an opaque booking process can create unequal opportunities for applicants.
A bench headed by Justice Amit Mahajan said a policy that can be applied mechanically is not necessarily constitutionally valid or consistent with public policy. The court also distinguished between assigning an applicant to a fixed category and establishing whether the reasoning behind that category is legally sound.
The observations were made while hearing a petition filed by Rage of Beginning Foundation. The organisation had challenged the rejection of its application for allocation of the Chunk-C ground at Shivaji Place in Raja Garden to organise an annual Ramlila Dussehra festival.
According to the report, the court said the DDA’s approach could provide applicants with unequal chances, particularly when the booking procedure and the applicable categories are not disclosed in advance. The concern places the focus not only on the order in which applications are received, but also on whether applicants are given clear and equal information before the allocation process begins.
Public grounds in Delhi are used for a range of cultural, religious and community events, making their allocation a matter of public administration rather than a purely private booking arrangement. The High Court’s remarks indicate that the authority’s process may be assessed against wider requirements of fairness, transparency and equal opportunity when public land is distributed among competing applicants.
The case also highlights the administrative importance of publishing allocation criteria before applications are invited. Without advance clarity on categories, eligibility and the booking mechanism, organisers may not have the same opportunity to apply or plan events, even if the system appears straightforward on paper.
The report does not specify in the supplied material whether the court directed the DDA to replace the policy, conduct a fresh allocation or issue revised guidelines. The immediate administrative steps will determine how the authority handles future applications for public grounds used for large cultural and religious gatherings.
