Thiruvananthapuram: The fancy 25-acre Trivandrum Golf Club will now be managed by the government, says the Supreme Court.
Like golf clubs in other cities, this one's members include leading politicians, top bureaucrats, senior police officials and film stars.
There are, however, strict conditions attached to today's verdict. The 600 members of staff are not to be affected by the change, and tournaments already lined up cannot be disrupted.
The state government wanted its Sport Council to run the club, but that has been rejected by the Supreme Court. The club's affairs will be managed by a new panel that includes government members as well as those from the existing Board of the club. The state's Chief Secretary will head this committee.
The club, located on prime property in the heart of the city, had been operating a bar on its premises and was also renting out its premises for private parties. While the club said it had licence for this, the state government said it got it through dubious ways and cancelled its licence saying all these activities violated the licence agreement. The property was handed over to the club in 1967 with a 99-year lease.
Trouble started for the club in June 2008, when the Revenue Department asked the club's management to vacate the premises for violating licence conditions. State told court that licence was given only to run golf course.
In May, the Kerala High Court ruled that the club's premises should be taken over by the government. The golf club challenged the High Court order in the apex court.