On Friday, March 7, 2025, the Supreme Court declined to impose a status quo on the Mumbai Dharavi redevelopment project. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar’s bench asked the Maharashtra government and Adani Properties Pvt Ltd, the company that won the project’s tender, to respond to a petition contesting a Bombay High Court decision from December 20, 2024.
The High Court ruled that there was no “arbitrariness, unreasonableness, or perversity” in the decision, clearing the way for the reconstruction of the Dharavi slums and upholding the bid that was given to the Adani Group for the project. In the process, the High Court rejected the appeal of Seclink Technologies Corporation, a company located in the United Arab Emirates, contesting the state government’s choice to give the massive redevelopment project to Adani Properties Pvt Ltd, which had submitted an offer of ₹5,069 crore.
With an offer of ₹7,200 crore, Seclink Technologies Corporation was the highest bidder for the project in 2018, but the government later canceled the tender. The Adani Group won the 2022 tender process with an offer of ₹5,069 crore, making them the highest bidder for the 259-hectare Dharavi redevelopment project in the center of Mumbai. The company appealed the High Court’s ruling.
The bench ordered Adani Properties Pvt Ltd to use a single bank account to pay for the project when it issued notice on its plea. Senior attorney C Aryama Sundaram, representing Seclink Technologies Corporation, asked the court to restore the status quo after the bench sent out notice on the plea.
However, the CJI said, “No.” In the first tender, the petitioner company offered ₹7,200 crore, Mr. Sundaram told the bench. He informed the court, “I will increase my offer of ₹7,200 crore by 20%,” bringing the total to ₹8,640 crore. Speaking on behalf of the State, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta questioned, “What about additional obligations?”
Mr. Sundaram said “yes” when the bench questioned if it would be willing to raise the offer “with the same obligations as put on the highest bidder.” Sundaram’s plea regarding the intended commitment was acknowledged by the bench, which stated, “The petitioner will file an affidavit to the said effect before this court.” It would occur during the week of May 25. However, the bench made it clear that neither party would assert any special rights.
Speaking on behalf of Adani Properties Pvt Ltd, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi stated that the project work has already started. “I have completed construction projects. I’ve made a deposit. There are about 2,000 workers,” he stated. Mehta stated that in addition to new development, some railway quarters were removed.
While dismissing Seclink Technologies Corporation’s plea, the high court had also rejected its contention that the tender was “tailor made” to suit a particular firm of the private conglomerate, noting three bidders had participated in the process. The government had cancelled the 2018 tender and issued a fresh one in 2022 with additional conditions. The corporation first challenged the cancellation of the 2018 tender and subsequently the 2022 award of tender to the Adani Group.
In the high court, the State Government argued that the top bidder was not given an unfair advantage and that the tender was granted transparently. The government said that a number of events, including the COVID-19 epidemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, which had an impact on the financial and economic situation, caused the 2018 tender to be canceled and a new one to be issued four years later.
In November 2018, the massive reconstruction project’s initial tender was released. Seclink Technologies Corporation was the highest bidder when the bids were opened in March 2019. One of the densest urban sprawls in the world, Dharavi is a slum colony with a mix of tiny industrial and residential buildings.
