TBM Staff - Mumbai
The Supreme Court on Friday closed a curative petition filed by the Union government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) seeking a reconsideration of its 2022 judgment, which allowed the GMR Group to manage and operate Nagpur’s Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that after a thorough review, there were no grounds to challenge the ruling, leading to the petition’s dismissal.
The bench, led by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, acknowledged Mehta’s independent stance and concluded that the petition did not meet the stringent requirements for curative cases, such as bias or lack of hearing. The curative jurisdiction was deemed inapplicable in this instance.
The original dispute arose in 2022 when the Supreme Court upheld a Bombay High Court ruling in favor of GMR Airports. MIHAN India Ltd had sought to cancel GMR’s contract for Nagpur airport’s upgradation, but the courts ruled that the cancellation was unjustified, reinforcing that government contracts must adhere to fairness and equality.
In closing Friday’s proceedings, the court emphasised that a specific observation from its 2022 ruling regarding the Centre and AAI not being necessary parties would not serve as a precedent in future cases of a similar nature.
