Bombay High Court Greenlights Dharavi Slum Redevelopment by Adani Group

The Bombay High Court has sanctioned the redevelopment of Dharavi slums by upholding the tender awarded to the Adani Group. Seclink Technologies Corp's challenge was dismissed as the court found no arbitrariness in the decision. The government cited factors like COVID-19 for altering the initial tender process.

The Bombay High Court has cleared a legal hurdle for the redevelopment of Dharavi, one of Mumbai's largest slum clusters, by upholding the tender awarded to the Adani Group. This comes as the court dismissed a petition from the UAE-based Seclink Technologies Corp that challenged the Maharashtra government's decision.

The division bench, comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, ruled there was no arbitrariness in the tender process. Despite Seclink being the highest bidder in 2018, the tender was scrapped due to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and financial changes resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war, leading to a fresh tender in 2022 favoring Adani's Rs 5,069-crore bid.

The judgment has drawn criticism from opposition parties, with figures like Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Varsha Gaikwad of the Mumbai Congress alleging irregularities and promising to overturn the tender if they return to power. However, the court found no evidence of undue preference or contract formation with the initial bidder, maintaining the transparency of the process.

(With inputs from agencies.)