Chandigarh, Dec. 23 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday deliberated on the procedural complexities involved in appointing a monitoring consultant for the holistic redevelopment of its premises. Addressing the critical space constraints within the complex, a division bench comprising chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry emphasised that the appointment process must strictly adhere to applicable procurement rules to ensure it withstands legal and administrative scrutiny. Senior advocate and UT senior standing counsel Amit Jhanji told the court that the consultancy fee for the proposed assignment could exceed Rs.50 lakh, which, under the rules, would ordinarily mandate a tendering process. Jhanji argued that if the consultancy fee crossed Rs.50 lakh, tendering would be unavoidable under the procurement norms. A similar position was echoed by additional solicitor general of India Satya Pal Jain, who also suggested adherence to the tendering route to avoid future objections and complications. The court's had on December 5 directed the UT administration to adopt single source selection method to appoint the most suitable consultant for executing the modified holistic development plan.htc...