A business that lost the contract asked the Supreme Court to grant an interim stay on the Adani Group’s Dharavi Slum Rehabilitation project, but the court denied the request. Dubai-based Seclink Technology Corporation filed a plea contesting the project’s award to Adani, which was heard by a court presided over by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Nonetheless, the court granted permission to review Seclink’s appeal on Friday and sent letters to the Adani Group and the Maharashtra government.
Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, speaking on behalf of the Adani Group, said that the building had already begun, but the top court refused to stop the continuing activity at the project site. He claimed that Adani had started the destruction of the railway quarters on the property. Adani hired more than 2,000 workers and made large financial investments. He also purchased construction equipment valued at crores of rupees. The Adani Group was ordered by the court to use a single escrow account for all project-related payments. Alltogether with the appropriate paperwork, such as invoices and brochures. This specified account must be used for all project-related financial transactions.
Seclink
A special-purpose vehicle was established in 2018 to forward the redevelopment under the BJP-Sena administration. After the government canceled all previous tenders to create a master plan for Dharavi in 2011. After inviting bids from throughout the world, the project quickly became the biggest urban rehabilitation project in Asia. When the then-Fadnavis-led government adopted a new model in November 2018, the story took still another turn. In January 2019, Seclink Technologies, based in Dubai, won the offer, even surpassing Adani. However, the reconstruction plan’s inclusion of vital railway land complicated things and ultimately resulted in Seclink’s disqualification.
In December 2024, the Bombay High Court rejected Seclink’s request, continuing the company’s legal battle. The court argued that decisions pertaining to tenders were firmly within the purview of the government and that the judiciary had no business serving as an appeals body in these cases. The Supreme Court further examined the bidding procedure in the most recent hearings. The Bench ordered Seclink to guarantee that its bid of Rs 8,640 crore was significantly greater than Adani’s of Rs 5,069 crore. It also emphasized that Seclink must fulfill all of the commitments made by Adani. It includes building 812 railway quarters, paying Rs 2,800 crore in indemnity, and leasing Rs 1,000 crore to the Railways.
What is the redevelopment project in Dharavi?
In November 2022, Adani Properties, the real estate development company of the Adani Group, became the highest bidder and acquired an 80% share in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd. The Maharashtra government retained the remaining 20%. While maintaining open places like the Mahim Nature Park, 296 acres of the 600 acres of land that make up the project will be redeveloped. More than 850,000 people live in Dharavi. When the number of temporary inhabitants is taken into account, it exceeds one million. It is the most populous area in Mumbai. Dharavi is the sixth most densely populated city in the world. It has an astounding population density of 354,167 people per square kilometer.
The Bandra Kurla Complex is now Mumbai’s financial center. It is home to some of the biggest bankers, stock exchanges, financial regulators, and corporate offices in the nation. These are close to the rehabilitation project.
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