In Brief
A temple in Andhra Pradesh conducted a public auction in 1998 and sold land to the highest bidder, K. Kumara Gupta, for Rs. 13.01 lakh per acre. Twenty-three years later, after the sale deed was executed and registered, non-participants in the auction challenged the sale in the High Court, arguing the property was worth more. The High Court ordered a re-auction with higher upset price. The Supreme Court set aside the High Court's order, holding that once a property is sold to the highest bidder in a properly conducted public auction with full performance, it cannot be unwound years later on the mere speculation that it could have fetched a higher price, especially when the challengers had no locus standi and made no showing of fraud, collusion, or material irregularity.
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