Date:04/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/04/stories/2006070400571100.htm

National

Hearing on Reliance appeal on July 18

Legal Correspondent

Plea against airport contracts

Vacation Bench could not hear matter

Notices already issued to two companies

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday posted for final hearing on July 18 Reliance Airports Developers' appeal against a Delhi High Court judgment in the airport modernisation issue.

A Bench consisting of Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice C.K. Thakker admitted the appeal in May and posted it for final hearing by a vacation Bench. However, the matter could not be heard.

The High Court rejected the Reliance petition seeking cancellation of the contracts awarded to two companies for privatisation and modernisation of the Delhi and Mumbai airports. Notices have already been issued to the Centre, GMR Infrastructure Limited and GVK Industries Limited.

The Reliance special leave petition said the High Court overlooked the fact that the petitioner was the highest bidder for the Delhi airport and technically best suited for the Mumbai airport. The respondents had arbitrarily applied two different yardsticks for the two airports under the same tender process.

The SLP sought quashing of the April 21 impugned judgment and an interim stay of its operation. It sought a direction to cancel the contracts illegally awarded.