B R Sharan Kumar

  BTC’s Bold Resolutions on a Legless Stool   By Sharan Kumar   The Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) has passed a series of resolutions at its Extraordinary General Meeting held on Saturday, each laden with ambitions of relocation, continued occupation, financial concessions, and administrative authorisations. On paper, it looks like a club attempting to take charge of its destiny. But scratch beneath the surface, and the exercise begins to resemble a grand illusion of authority, one that the Government of Karnataka is unlikely to entertain.   For decades, BTC has functioned under the belief that its heritage, influence, and contribution to the city’s social life give it a certain bargaining power. That belief may have felt true in a different era. But in 2025, with no lease on the land it occupies, no legal claim over the 60+ acres on Race Course Road, and a complete dependency on the government for its license, utilities, and operational permissions, the club ...

    Madras Race Club’s Hopes Sealed in Landmark Ruling   By Sharan Kumar   In a landmark ruling that could shake the foundations of horse racing across India, the Madras High Court has authorised the Tamil Nadu Government to proceed unhindered with flood-mitigation and eco-restoration works on the 160-acre Guindy racecourse land, effectively extinguishing any remaining hope of racing ever resuming in Chennai. The race track itself has already been dug up, with saplings planted across vast stretches of the property, signalling the decisive end of a 246-year-old racing tradition in the city.   A Division Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and Mohammed Shaffiq set aside the earlier status quo order that had protected the Madras Race Club’s occupation of the land. Holding that environmental protection, climate resilience and public interest far outweigh private leasehold claims, the court cleared the route for the State to continue developing ponds, sp...