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The Bombay city civil court has dismissed a notice of motion filed by senior journalist and former Mumbai Press Club president Gurbir Singh against club president Samar Khadas and others, refusing to stay the disciplinary action that led to Mr. Singh's expulsion from the Club.
City civil judge A.H. Baig, held that the club had substantially followed its internal disciplinary procedures under Article XI of its bylaws and had observed the principles of natural justice during the inquiry process. The court also imposed costs on Mr. Singh, observing that he had failed to make out a prima facie case for interim relief.
The dispute originated from a meeting held on January 19, 2026, at the club premises, where Mr. Singh, along with two other members, hosted a gathering that included individuals accused in the Bhima Koregaon case and facing prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The club's managing committee initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Singh, stating that the meeting had brought the club into disrepute and potentially violated bail conditions imposed by the Supreme Court and the Special NIA Court, which precluded the accused from meeting each other or speaking to journalists.
The club issued a show cause notice on February 22, 2026, and provided Mr. Singh with the documents he requested. He submitted his reply on March 10, 2026, after being granted an extension. The managing committee found his explanation unsatisfactory and constituted a three-member Inquiry Committee on April 1, 2026. Mr. Singh appeared before the committee on April 17, 2026, after the hearing was adjourned at his request.
The committee submitted its report on April 25, 2026, expressing that the gathering may have resulted in a violation of bail conditions and exposed the Club to legal and reputational risks. The managing committee, by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, accepted the report and expelled Mr. Singh from membership for six years, communicating the decision on April 28, 2026.
The court recorded that the club did not suspend Mr. Singh during the inquiry but proceeded with a show cause notice, and the president of the club was not a member of the inquiry committee, removing any allegation of bias on that ground.
The court noted that Mr. Singh had raised a defence that the club had previously hosted book launches featuring Bhima Koregaon accused, but the managing committee had distinguished those as public functions, while the January meeting was a private gathering. The court further observed that the National Investigating Agency has initiated steps for further investigation and has called club officials and Mr. Singh for questioning, taking possession of club records including CCTV footage.
The court applied the settled legal principle that courts should not interfere with decisions of domestic tribunals unless they are unfair, biased, or taken without following natural justice, citing authorities including T.P. Daver Vs. Lodge Victoria and Royal Western India Turf Club Vs. Vinayak Gaekwad. The court held that granting interim relief would amount to granting final relief at an interlocutory stage, and that allowing Mr. Singh to contest the upcoming elections would violate the club's bylaws, which bar expelled members from contesting.
The court concluded that Mr. Singh had not made out a prima facie case, the balance of convenience did not favour him, and no irreparable loss would be caused if interim relief was denied. The notice of motion was dismissed with costs, and the court noted that both the incident involving Mr. Khadas on October 25, 2025, and the meeting on January 19, 2026, were separate matters.
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