The Bombay High Court has affirmed the Maharashtra government’s decision to award the tender for the redevelopment of the Dharavi slum to Adani Properties Private Limited, dismissing a challenge by UAE-based Seclink Technologies Corporation. The division bench, led by Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, ruled on Friday that the petition lacked “force and effort,” upholding the 2022 tender process.
Adani Group, having submitted the highest bid of Rs 5,069 crore, was selected for the extensive 259-hectare redevelopment project in Mumbai. The project had previously seen a 2018 tender in which Seclink Technologies was the highest bidder with an offer of Rs 7,200 crore. However, this tender was subsequently canceled by the state government, which then introduced a new tender in 2022 incorporating additional conditions.
The legal challenge by Seclink focused on both the cancellation of the 2018 tender and the awarding of the 2022 tender to Adani. The court found no merit in the petitioner’s arguments against the government’s decision to reissue the tender, citing the government’s assertion that the tendering process was transparent and fair.
The state defended its decision to cancel the 2018 tender and issue a new one, attributing the change to several external factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which it claimed impacted the financial and economic landscape. Additionally, the state highlighted that an extra 45 acres of land became available for the project from the Indian Railways in March 2019, further justifying the reissuance of the tender.
The government also maintained that no formal contract had been established with Seclink following the 2018 bid, nullifying any legal claims by the company regarding the tender cancellation. With the 2020 government resolution, the original tender was officially canceled due to significant changes in tender conditions post the “Bid Due Date.”
