Kolkata, March 20 -- The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea moved by Adani Global Air Cargo Solutions challenging the bidding process for Kolkata Airport's new cargo terminal development.
The division bench of Justices Vibhu Bakru and Girish Kathpalia was hearing a petition by Adani Global Air seeking the cancellation of an e-tender issued by ACLASCL, a subsidiary of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the development of the new cargo terminal at Kolkata Airport on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer basis.
Adani had reportedly said it was excluded from participating in the bidding process due to a technical glitch that prevented it from logging in to submit its online bid. The bench held that Adani Global Air failed to substantiate its claim that technical glitches on the e-procurement portal prevented the timely submission of its bid.
"In the present case, we are unable to accept that the bidding process falls foul of Article 14 of the Constitution of India or is vitiated on the ground of bias. The petitioner's challenge to the bidding process also fails the Wednesbury test of unreasonableness," the court reportedly said.
"It is also material to observe that the petitioner's failure to complete the submission of its bid adversely affects not only the petitioner but also ACLASCL, as it is deprived of a competing bid," the bench reportedly observed.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.