{"id":13801,"date":"2024-12-21T15:51:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T15:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=13801"},"modified":"2024-12-21T15:51:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T15:51:53","slug":"india-court-dismisses-challenge-to-award-of-mumbai-slum-revamp-contract-to-adani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/asia\/south-asia\/india\/india-court-dismisses-challenge-to-award-of-mumbai-slum-revamp-contract-to-adani\/2024\/12\/21\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"India court dismisses challenge to award of Mumbai slum revamp contract to Adani"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-0\">An Indian court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the award of a contract to Adani Group to revamp one of Asia&#8217;s largest slums in Mumbai, clearing one of the main legal challenges to the ambitious project.<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-1\">The group led by billionaire\u00a0<a class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__link__3Ji6W link__underline_default__2prE_\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/chair-indias-adani-group-indicted-united-states-2024-11-20\/\" data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gautam Adani<\/a>\u00a0won a $619 million bid in 2023 to convert the Dharavi slum into a\u00a0<a class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__link__3Ji6W link__underline_default__2prE_ link__with-icon__3x3oD\" href=\"urn:newsml:newsroom.refinitiv.com:20230720:nL4N39637K:0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-testid=\"Link\">modern city hub, opens new tab<\/a>, but Dubai-based SecLink Technologies Corporation, winner of a previous tender for the slum revamp, challenged the award of the contract to Adani in a petition in the Bombay High Court in July 2023.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body__element__2p5pI\">\n<div class=\"spacing-container__container__2g5QT spacing-container__t-spacing-single-three-quarters__2_moJ spacing-container__b-spacing-single-three-quarters__1fuBK spacing-container__max-width__zScFd\" data-testid=\"ResponsiveAdSlot\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__container__FEnoz ad-slot__fixed-height__6m70D\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-2\">The 240 hectare (594 acre) slum, known as Asia&#8217;s densest and featured in Danny Boyle&#8217;s Oscar-winning 2008 movie &#8220;Slumdog Millionaire&#8221;, stands in contrast to India&#8217;s development boom with its open sewers and shared toilets, close to Mumbai&#8217;s international airport and business district.<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-3\">&#8220;The grounds urged in support of the petition lack force and accordingly, the challenge &#8230; fails,&#8221; the Bombay High Court concluded in the order.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body__element__2p5pI\">\n<div class=\"spacing-container__container__2g5QT spacing-container__t-spacing-single-three-quarters__2_moJ spacing-container__b-spacing-single-three-quarters__1fuBK spacing-container__max-width__zScFd\" data-testid=\"ResponsiveAdSlot\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__container__FEnoz ad-slot__fixed-height__6m70D\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-4\">SecLink will appeal against the ruling in the Supreme Court, Suraj Iyer, a lawyer from Ganesh and Co. representing SecLink, told Reuters.<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-5\">SecLink had\u00a0<a class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__link__3Ji6W link__underline_default__2prE_\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/india\/adanis-bid-remake-mumbai-slum-spurs-residents-doubts-favouritism-claims-2023-08-28\/\" data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alleged<\/a>\u00a0in its petition that Maharashtra state improperly cancelled an original 2018 tender for the Dharavi redevelopment, for which SecLink had bid highest, and restarted the process with new terms in 2022 so that Adani could win.<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-6\">SecLink had also received a Mumbai court&#8217;s permission to add Adani Group to its lawsuit last year in an ongoing petition against the Maharashtra government.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body__element__2p5pI\">\n<div class=\"spacing-container__container__2g5QT spacing-container__t-spacing-single__1uXb9 spacing-container__b-spacing-single__2RCDp spacing-container__max-width__zScFd cnx-player__container__3kxx8\" data-testid=\"CnxPlayer\" data-variant-id=\"inline-video-player\">\n<div id=\"in-article-desktop-video-player\" class=\"cnx-player__video-player__yUvan\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-7\">In an 809-page filing last year, the eight-member consortium had said that Maharashtra&#8217;s modified bidding process was &#8220;politically motivated&#8221; and &#8220;tailor made to suit&#8221; Adani Group.<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-8\">But Friday&#8217;s court order, referring to the second tender for the slum revamp that Adani won, ruled: &#8220;It cannot be said that the tender conditions were tailor-made so as to suit only a particular bidder.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-9\">The Maharashtra government, led by Narendra Modi&#8217;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, and the Adani Group had denied all allegations in their response to the petition.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body__element__2p5pI\">\n<div lang=\"en\" data-testid=\"Dianomi\">\n<div class=\"dianomi_context\" data-dianomi-context-id=\"2615\" data-dianomi-complete=\"1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-10\">The Maharashtra government had said that its officials had followed the proper process in cancelling the earlier tender and Adani Group had argued that the case should be thrown out in the interest of development.<\/div>\n<div class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD\" data-testid=\"paragraph-11\">The Adani group is executing the Dharavi slum revamp via a joint venture with the Dharavi Slum Redevelopment Authority. It launched the project in March with a\u00a0<a class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__link__3Ji6W link__underline_default__2prE_\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/india\/adani-start-data-collection-mumbai-slum-redevelopment-february-2024-01-26\/\" data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">survey<\/a>\u00a0to determine the eligibility of slum residents for getting a free home.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Indian court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the award of a contract to Adani Group to revamp one of Asia&#8217;s largest slums in Mumbai, clearing one of the main legal challenges to the ambitious project. The group led by billionaire\u00a0Gautam Adani\u00a0won a $619 million bid in 2023 to convert the Dharavi slum into [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[2407],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/images-1.jpeg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13801"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13805,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13801\/revisions\/13805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}