In Brief
Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. (BCCL) conducted a reverse online auction for mining contracts via an online platform. When the system automatically closed prematurely at 1:03 PM due to connectivity problems, BCCL resumed the auction at 2:30 PM after confirming the technical fault. The unsuccessful lowest bidder at closure, AMR Dev Prabha, later sought judicial relief challenging the award. The Supreme Court held that writ petitions challenging tender awards must show violation of constitutional/public law rights and demonstrate genuine public interest, not merely contractual disputes or price differences. The Court found BCCL acted in good faith, confirmed by independent technical audits. It held that the authority interpreting its own tender terms deserves deference unless patently perverse. Allowing the appeal, the Court dismissed the writ petition as unmaintainable and lacking public interest.
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