SC overrules West Bengal's cancellation of underpass maintenance contract

'Classic case of arbitrariness': SC overrules West Bengal's cancellation of underpass maintenance contract In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court quashed West Bengal authorities' move to cancel a private contract for maintaining two Kolkata underpasses, highlighting that the state is not the absolute owner of resources. The apex court labelled the cancellation as a "classic textbook case of an arbitrary and capricious exercise of power," citing a West Bengal minister's undue influence. "Public tenders are a cornerstone of governmental procurement processes, ensuring transparency, competition, and fairness in the allocation of public resources. It emanates from the Doctrine of Public Trust which lays down that all natural resources and public use amenities and structures are intended for the benefit and enjoyment of the public. The State is not the absolute owner of such resources and rather owns it in trust and as such it cannot utilise these resources as it pleases,” said a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra as quoted by news agency PTI. [Read more](/dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29t/aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuaW5kaWF0dm5ld3MuY29tJTJGbmV3cyUyRmluZGlhJTJGc3VwcmVtZS1jb3VydC1vdmVycnVsZXMtd2VzdC1iZW5nYWwtY2FuY2VsbGF0aW9uLW9mLXVuZGVycGFzcy1tYWludGVuYW5jZS1jb250cmFjdC1rb2xrYXRhLWRvY3RyaW5lLW9mLXB1YmxpYy10cnVzdC1jamktZC15LWNoYW5kcmFjaHVkLTIwMjQtMDctMDktOTQxMDM3) In order to unsubscribe from this mailing list, please click, please Click [here](/dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29t)