NEW DELHI: In a significant development on Friday, the Supreme Court declined to pause the redevelopment project of Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, currently being undertaken by the Adani Group.
The decision came after Dubai-based Seclink Technology Corporation (STC) filed an appeal challenging the Bombay High Court’s December 19, 2024 order, which upheld the Maharashtra government’s decision to issue a fresh tender for the project in 2022 to Adani Group, following the cancellation of a 2019 bid won by STC.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, rejected STC’s plea to halt the project, noting that work on the ground had already progressed significantly.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Adani Group, informed the court that substantial investments had already been made, including the purchase of machinery worth crores of rupees and the deployment of hundreds of workers for various tasks, including the demolition of Indian Railways quarters located on the site.
The court, while denying a status quo order, directed the Adani Group to maintain an escrow account and ensure that all payments related to the project are routed through this account, with proper documentation like invoices and brochures maintained.
On the other hand, Senior Advocate C Aryama Sundaram, representing Seclink, proposed an increase in their original bid of Rs 7,200 crore by 20%, bringing the revised bid to Rs 8,640 crore. The bench instructed him to file an affidavit explaining the revised offer.
The Bombay High Court had previously dismissed STC’s plea, which accused the Maharashtra government of tailoring the tender conditions to benefit the Adani Group, thus excluding other bidders.
The High Court found STC’s claims to be “misconceived” and upheld the government’s decision to award the project to Adani.
In November 2022, Adani Properties emerged as the highest bidder for the redevelopment of nearly 259 hectares of slum area in Central Mumbai, with a bid amount of Rs 5,069 crore.
This sum, when combined with a Rs 2,800 crore payment to the railways, brought the total bid value to Rs 7,869 crore.
The ongoing redevelopment of Dharavi is expected to transform the area into a modern urban space and is one of the most ambitious projects in Mumbai’s history.
