The race to secure public grounds for Ramleela celebrations cannot be decided simply by who applies first, the Delhi High Court has ruled, directing authorities to establish a transparent and fair allocation system for religious and cultural events.
Justice Amit Mahajan, in an order dated October 8, held that the first-come, first-served approach is constitutionally unreasonable because it can give some applicants an unfair advantage over others.
Although the policy may appear neutral on the surface, the Court observed that it rewards those who gain information about the availability of public spaces before competing organisers. This can create an uneven playing field, particularly when some applicants have better access to administrative information.
The Court has directed the authorities to introduce comprehensive guidelines every year for allotting grounds for Ramleela and similar events.
Under the proposed framework, allocation notices must be published at least 90 days before the first scheduled event. These notices should clearly identify the available grounds, application deadlines, eligibility requirements, assessment criteria and mechanisms for raising grievances.
Where several eligible organisations apply for the same location, authorities must compare their applications using a predetermined scoring system or other evaluation criteria made public in advance.
The Court also addressed the position of organisers who have conducted events at a particular venue in previous years. While their compliance record may justify limited preference, past allotment cannot create an automatic entitlement to the same ground. Such preference must not continue beyond two consecutive years when other eligible applicants are competing for the site.
Authorities must also ensure that the allotment process and the regular grievance-redressal procedure are completed well before the celebrations begin.
Dispute over a Ramleela venue
The ruling came in a petition filed by Rays of New Beginning Foundation, which challenged the rejection of its application to organise Ramleela at a Delhi ground.
The foundation had organised the event at the same location in 2023 and 2024. It argued that the Delhi Development Authority’s policy provided preference to previous organisers.
However, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board allotted the ground to another organisation that had applied earlier, relying on its first-come, first-served policy.
Examining the dispute, the High Court found the approach flawed and emphasised the need for an allocation process that offers applicants a fair opportunity to compete for public spaces.
Despite finding fault with the policy, the Court declined to cancel the existing allotment or transfer the ground to the petitioner for the 2026 festivities. With the events about to begin, it decided against disrupting the arrangements already in place.
The decision in Ray of New Beginning Foundation v. Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board & Ors. establishes a broader framework for future allotments, placing transparency, published criteria and equal opportunity at the centre of decisions involving public grounds.
The ruling makes clear that access to a public venue for religious or cultural celebrations should not depend merely on who reaches the authorities first, but on a process that treats competing applicants fairly.