{"id":115251,"date":"2010-02-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-17T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/engineering-limited-vs-oil-natural-gas-corporation-on-18-february-2010"},"modified":"2017-10-27T02:11:23","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T20:41:23","slug":"engineering-limited-vs-oil-natural-gas-corporation-on-18-february-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/engineering-limited-vs-oil-natural-gas-corporation-on-18-february-2010","title":{"rendered":"Engineering Limited vs Oil &amp; Natural Gas Corporation &#8230; on 18 February, 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Bombay High Court<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">Engineering Limited vs Oil &amp; Natural Gas Corporation &#8230; on 18 February, 2010<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_bench\">Bench: J.N. Patel, B.R. Gavai<\/div>\n<pre>                                          1\n\n\n             IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY\n\n\n\n\n                                                                           \n                 ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION\n\n\n\n\n                                                   \n                      WRIT PETITION NO.41 OF 2010\n\n    Coastal Marine Construction &amp;\n\n\n\n\n                                                  \n    Engineering Limited, 1st floor,\n    Haria's Dream Park, `A' Wing,\n\n\n\n\n                                         \n    Mira-Bhayander Road, Mira Road (East),\n    Mumbai--401 107.         ig                          : Petitioner\n\n\n          V\/s.\n                          \n    1. Oil &amp; Natural Gas Corporation Limited,\n       Engineering Services (Offshore),\n      \n\n\n       4th floor, 11 High Sion-Bandra Link Road,\n   \n\n\n\n       Sion (West), Mumbai--400 017.\n    2. Union of India, having their office at\n\n\n\n\n\n       Aayakar Bhavan, New Marine Lines,\n       Churchgate, Mumbai--400 020.                      : Respondents\n                              ....\n\n\n\n\n\n    Mr.Atul Rajyadhyaksha, Senior Advocate, i\/b. Ashwin Shankar for the\n    petitioner.\n\n    Mr.R.A.Dada, Senior Advocate, with Ms Snehal Paranjpe, Mr.Zubair\n    Dada, Mr.Jayendra Kapadia and Mr.O.Mohandas i\/b. Little &amp; Co., for\n    respondent no.1.\n                           ....\n\n\n\n\n                                                   ::: Downloaded on - 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::\n                                          2\n\n\n\n\n                                                                              \n                                   CORAM : J.N.PATEL &amp; B.R. GAVAI, JJ.\n\n                                   Date of Reserving      ) : 29.01.2010.\n\n\n\n\n                                                      \n                                   the Judgement.         )\n\n                                    Date of Pronouncing) : 18.02.2010.\n                                    the Judgement.     )\n\n\n\n\n                                                     \n    JUDGEMENT (Per B.R.Gavai, J.)\n<\/pre>\n<p>              Though this Writ Petition has been filed seeking various reliefs,<\/p>\n<p>    including the ones, directing the respondents to correct the terms of the<\/p>\n<p>    Bid Evaluation Criteria, injuncting the respondents from rejecting the<\/p>\n<p>    Technical Bid submitted by the petitioner, an injunction restraining the<\/p>\n<p>    respondents from opening the Price Bids of various bidders and also an<\/p>\n<p>    injunction restraining the respondents from proceeding with the award of<\/p>\n<p>    the contract, the petitioner has restricted the claim in the petition only to<\/p>\n<p>    the decision of the respondents in holding the petitioner to be technically<\/p>\n<p>    disqualified for award of the contract in question.\n<\/p>\n<p>    2.        The respondent no.1 had invited tenders for hiring of services<\/p>\n<p>    for geophysical survey and geotechnical surveys in Vashishtha, S1 &amp;<\/p>\n<p>    Manik fields in deep water locations of East Coast of India. The main<\/p>\n<p>    condition of the tender document around which the dispute in the present<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                      ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                          3<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    petition revolves is as under:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                 &#8220;A) Technical Criteria<\/p>\n<p>                 The following vital technical conditions should be<br \/>\n                 strictly complied:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                   1.0 Eligibility and experience of the bidder:\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 1.1(a)i) The bidder by himself should have minimum<br \/>\n                 two years experience as on opening date of tender<\/p>\n<p>                 on the following-\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 ii) The Bidder should have executed at least one<br \/>\n                 number of contracts of following nature in last ten<br \/>\n                 years&#8211;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 For Part-I: Geophysical Survey<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 a)   Bathymetry.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 b)   Sea Bed Survey\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 c)   Magnetometer Survey<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 d)   Sub bottom profiler (seismic) Sparker\/Boomer<\/p>\n<p>                 In deep water minimum 850 Mtrs. or above.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                   For Part II: Geo Technical Investigation<\/p>\n<p>                 Collection &amp; Analysis of cores in deep water<br \/>\n                 minimum 850 Mtrs. or above.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 1.1(b) In case the bidder is an Indian company\/<br \/>\n                 Indian Joint venture company, the Indian company\/<br \/>\n                 Indian Joint venture company or its technical colla-<br \/>\n                 borator\/joint venture partner should meet the criteria<br \/>\n                 laid down above.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 1.1(c) Or bidder should be a 100% subsidiary<br \/>\n                 company of the parent company which itself meets<br \/>\n                 the experience and financial capability criteria as<br \/>\n                 stipulated in the BEC.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                      ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                             4<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                 1.2 In case the bidder is a consortium of companies,<\/p>\n<p>                 the following requirement should be satisfied by the<br \/>\n                 bidder:\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 a) The members of the consortium collectively<br \/>\n                 should satisfy the minimum experience requirement<br \/>\n                 as per para 2.1(a) above.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    3.        Though, according to the petitioner, since in the notice inviting<\/p>\n<p>    tenders there is a provision regarding pre-bid conference wherein<\/p>\n<p>    exceptions\/deviations,     if<br \/>\n                              ig    any,   to   Tender   Terms,       Conditions         &amp;<\/p>\n<p>    Specifications were to be sorted out, the petitioner has perused the matter<\/p>\n<p>    insofar as the requirement of executing the work in water having<\/p>\n<p>    minimum depth of 850 mtrs. is concerned and, accordingly, a prayer to<\/p>\n<p>    that effect was made in the petition. However, since the petitioner has<\/p>\n<p>    submitted its bid after entering into a Technical Collaboration Agreement<\/p>\n<p>    with Williamson &amp; Associates, USA, and Carmacoring S.r.l, Italy, the<\/p>\n<p>    petitioner has not agitated its grievance regarding the validity of the said<\/p>\n<p>    condition and has restricted the claim in the present petition only insofar<\/p>\n<p>    as their grievance regarding not finding the petitioner&#8217;s collaborators&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>    technical experience sufficient enough to satisfy the condition regarding<\/p>\n<p>    technical qualification.\n<\/p>\n<p>    4.        We have heard Mr.Rajyadhyaksha, the learned senior counsel<\/p>\n<p>    appearing on behalf of the petitioner, and Mr.Dada, the learned senior<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                         ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                         5<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent no.1 at length.\n<\/p>\n<p>    5.        Mr.Rajyadhyaksha, the learned counsel appearing on behalf of<\/p>\n<p>    the petitioner, submits that though voluminous documents were submitted<\/p>\n<p>    by the petitioner in support of the experience and eligibility of their<\/p>\n<p>    collaborators, the said documents are not taken into consideration on a<\/p>\n<p>    flimsy and unviable grounds. He submits that even according to the<\/p>\n<p>    respondents, the petitioner could have independently submitted its bid for<\/p>\n<p>    part of the work i.e. Geophysical Survey or Geo Technical Investigation<\/p>\n<p>    independently.    He submits that insofar as Part I of the work i.e.<\/p>\n<p>    Geophysical Survey is concerned, in response to the query made by the<\/p>\n<p>    respondent no.1, the petitioner was required to submit the completion<\/p>\n<p>    certificate against contract no.144695 between Tyco Telecommunications<\/p>\n<p>    (US) Inc. and Williamson &amp; Associates Inc. or work order\/contract,<\/p>\n<p>    report\/completion certificate against any other project listed in the bid<\/p>\n<p>    document and executed by the bidder or his technical collaborator, to<\/p>\n<p>    conform with Bid Evaluation Criterion (BEC) clause 2.1(a)(i) of Part I.\n<\/p>\n<p>    He submitted that in response to the said query, the petitioner had<\/p>\n<p>    submitted following documents:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;i.    Work Completion certificate issued by TYCO<br \/>\n                       Telecommunication (US) INC having their<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                    ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                 6<\/span><\/p>\n<p>             address at 412 Mount Kemble Avenue,<br \/>\n             Morrisstown, NJ 07960 which is placed in<\/p>\n<p>             Annexure 2 to Petitioners clarification letter<\/p>\n<p>             referred to above.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>      ii.    Copy of the report for the Manus Basin Geo-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>             physical Survey for Placer Dome Asia Pte<\/p>\n<p>             Ltd. Portion of report has been high lighted<br \/>\n             for the sake of convenience to show the name<br \/>\n             of Williamson &amp; Associates, Equipments<\/p>\n<p>             used and to show water depth wherever<\/p>\n<p>             necessary which is placed in Annexure-3 of<br \/>\n             Petitioners clarification letter referred to<\/p>\n<p>             above.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>      iii.   Copy of an article written by US Geological<br \/>\n             Survey personal which describes a deep<\/p>\n<p>             water survey completed by Williamson in<\/p>\n<p>             1990. The article clearly states that Williamson<br \/>\n             completed the survey and it also states that<br \/>\n             it is based on a USGS report. The copy of<\/p>\n<p>             article report is annexed hereto and marked<br \/>\n             Annexure-4 to Petitioners clarification letter<br \/>\n             referred to above.\n<\/p>\n<p>      iv.    A list of survey containing the contracts<br \/>\n             details executed in deep water. The contract<br \/>\n             details in blue are the contracts executed in<br \/>\n             deep water as stated in the cover email dated<br \/>\n             11th December 2009. Copy of both the lists<br \/>\n             attached, together with forwarding email<br \/>\n             message, hereto and mark Annexure-5 to<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                             ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                            7<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                        Petitioners clarification letter referred to<br \/>\n                        above.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>    Mr.Rajyadhyaksha submitted that a perusal of the aforesaid documents<\/p>\n<p>    would reveal that the petitioner squarely satisfies the criteria laid down as<\/p>\n<p>    per the Bid Evaluation Criteria clause 2.1(a)(i) and (ii) or 2.1(b).\n<\/p>\n<p>    6.        Insofar as Part II of the work i.e. Geo Technical Investigation is<\/p>\n<p>    concerned, it is submitted that the petitioner had entered into<\/p>\n<p>    collaboration with Ms\/.Carmacoring srl, Italy, and following documents<\/p>\n<p>    were   submitted    by    the   petitioner   to   establish      that    the     said<\/p>\n<p>    M\/s.Carmacoring complied with the eligibility criteria:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>              1. Project for Impresub<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 a)     Carmacoring Company Profile mentions that<\/p>\n<p>                        Carmacoring carried out the geotechnical<\/p>\n<p>                        survey in the year 2006.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 b)     Collaboration Agreement between Car.Ma<\/p>\n<p>                        and Impresub.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 c)     Daily Report of the Project dated 13.4.2006.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                 d)     Certificate dated 9.5.2006 from Impresub.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<pre>                 e)     Carmacoring Report of the Geotechnical\n\n\n\n\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                        ::: Downloaded on - 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                            8<\/span>\n\n                         Survey carried out.\n\n\n\n\n                                                                              \n              2. Project for ISMAR\n\n\n\n\n                                                      \n<\/pre>\n<blockquote><p>                    a)   Carmacoring Company Profile mentioning<\/p>\n<p>                         that Carmacoring carried out the geological<\/p>\n<p>                         survey in the year 2008.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                    b)   Report of the Project.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                    c)   Certificate dated 30.11.2009 from ISMAR.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>            3. Project for Gas S.r.l.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                    a)   Certificate dated 5.10.2007 issued by the<\/p>\n<p>                         Managing Director of Gas s.r.l. establishing<\/p>\n<p>                         that Carmacoring carried out coring.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    The learned counsel submits that the aforesaid documents would clearly<\/p>\n<p>    establish that the petitioner&#8217;s collaborator M\/s.Carmacoring S.r.l. has<\/p>\n<p>    possessed the necessary qualification. He submits that refusal to take into<\/p>\n<p>    consideration the aforesaid documents has resulted in arbitrariness<\/p>\n<p>    thereby vitiating action of the respondents in holding the petitioner to be<\/p>\n<p>    disqualified.\n<\/p>\n<p>    7.         Mr.Rajyadhyaksha further submitted that though initially the<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                      ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                           9<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    petitioner was found to be technically qualified, subsequently, with<\/p>\n<p>    ulterior motive, the petitioner has been held to be disqualified.\n<\/p>\n<p>    8.         An attempt has been made on behalf of the petitioner to submit<\/p>\n<p>    that the petitioner who was already executing some works for the<\/p>\n<p>    respondent-Corporation, had differences with one Ashok Sharma, who is<\/p>\n<p>    an Officer in the Corporation and that the decision to hold the petitioner<\/p>\n<p>    disqualified is at the instance of the said Sharma. It is further submitted<\/p>\n<p>    that there was an integrity clause in the tender document and as per the<\/p>\n<p>    integrity clause, the respondent-Corporation cannot disclose the details<\/p>\n<p>    submitted to it, to other bidders. It is further submitted that one of the<\/p>\n<p>    competitors of the petitioner, viz., TDI Brooks has been supplied secrete<\/p>\n<p>    information by somebody from the Corporation. It is submitted that TDI<\/p>\n<p>    Brooks has written a letter dated 20.11.2009 to the respondent-\n<\/p>\n<p>    Corporation and only after such a letter was written, the matter was re-\n<\/p>\n<p>    evaluated to hold that the petitioner is disqualified.\n<\/p>\n<p>    9.      The learned counsel relied on the judgement of the apex Court in<\/p>\n<p>    Reliance Energy Ltd. v. Maharashtra State Road Development Corpn.\n<\/p>\n<p>    Ltd. [(2007) 8 SCC 1] in support of the submission that the doctrine of<\/p>\n<p>    &#8220;level playing field&#8221; is an important doctrine and that equally placed<\/p>\n<p>    bidders are required to be allowed to bid so as to subserve the larger<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                       ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                         10<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    public interest.\n<\/p>\n<p>    10.       Mr.Dada, the learned senior counsel appearing on behalf of the<\/p>\n<p>    respondent no.1, on the contrary, submits that the documents which were<\/p>\n<p>    relied upon by the petitioner in support of the technical qualification show<\/p>\n<p>    that the experience of the petitioner&#8217;s collaborators has been found to be<\/p>\n<p>    not in conformity with the requirements of the respondents. He submits<\/p>\n<p>    that the documents were not of such a nature which would establish<\/p>\n<p>    beyond doubt that the petitioner&#8217;s collaborators had two years&#8217; experience<\/p>\n<p>    as on the opening date of the tender and that they had executed at least<\/p>\n<p>    one contract of the nature mentioned in the tender document.                  It is<\/p>\n<p>    submitted that the respondents by applying the similar standards had<\/p>\n<p>    evaluated the documents submitted by each of the bidders and after<\/p>\n<p>    careful evaluation thereof by the Tender Evaluation Committee which<\/p>\n<p>    consisted of senior Officers of the respondent-Corporation, it was found<\/p>\n<p>    that the documents submitted did not satisfy the requirements of the<\/p>\n<p>    technical qualification. The learned counsel submits that this Court is not<\/p>\n<p>    expected to interfere with the conditions mentioned in the tender inviting<\/p>\n<p>    notice. In support of this submission, the learned counsel relied on the<\/p>\n<p>    judgement of the apex Court in <a href=\"\/doc\/540140\/\">Nagar Nigam v. Al Faheem Meat<\/p>\n<p>    Exports (P) Ltd.<\/a> [(2006) 13 SCC 382]. The learned counsel further<\/p>\n<p>    submitted that unless the respondents come to a subjective satisfaction<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                          11<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    that the works in question were satisfactorily completed, on the basis of<\/p>\n<p>    the documents submitted by the party, it is well within its rights to hold<\/p>\n<p>    that the party has not satisfied the condition regrading technical<\/p>\n<p>    qualification. Reliance is placed in this respect on the judgement of the<\/p>\n<p>    apex Court in <a href=\"\/doc\/691848\/\">Electrical Mfg. Co. Ltd. v. Power Grid Corpn. of India<\/p>\n<p>    Ltd.<\/a> [(2009) 4 SCC 87].\n<\/p>\n<p>    11.       Insofar as the allegation regarding Ashok Sharma is concerned,<\/p>\n<p>    the learned counsel submitted that neither Ashok Sharma has been made a<\/p>\n<p>    party-respondent nor are their any specific allegations attributed to him in<\/p>\n<p>    the petition.     He, therefore, submitted that in the absence of such<\/p>\n<p>    pleadings, it will not be permissible for this Court to go into the<\/p>\n<p>    allegations in that respect. Reliance is placed on the judgement of the<\/p>\n<p>    apex Court in Chandra Prakash Singh v. Chairman, P.G. Bank (2008 (3)<\/p>\n<p>    Scale 289). Insofar as the allegation regarding the TDI Brooks and Fugro<\/p>\n<p>    is concerned, it is submitted that the information regrading the technical<\/p>\n<p>    collaborators of the petitioner was very much available on their web site<\/p>\n<p>    and, as such, the letter written by the said TDI Brooks was on the basis of<\/p>\n<p>    the information received on the web site of the petitioner&#8217;s collaborators.\n<\/p>\n<p>    It is, therefore, submitted that the allegation in this respect are without<\/p>\n<p>    substance.      The learned counsel further submitted that this Court is<\/p>\n<p>    concerned with the decision making process and not the ultimate decision<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                         12<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    and unless it is found that the decision making process is vitiated on any<\/p>\n<p>    of the grounds on which judicial review of an administrative action is<\/p>\n<p>    permissible, no inference would be warranted by this Court. Reliance is<\/p>\n<p>    placed, in this respect, on the judgement of the apex Court in the case of<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"\/doc\/884513\/\">Tata Cellular v. Union of India<\/a> [(1994) 6 SCC 651].\n<\/p>\n<p>    12.       At the outset, we may observe that insofar as the allegations<\/p>\n<p>    made by the petitioner regarding the impugned action being at the behest<\/p>\n<p>    of Ashok Sharma and the same being made to favour TDI Brooks is<\/p>\n<p>    concerned, it will not be permissible for this Court to go into the said<\/p>\n<p>    allegations. The apex Court in Chandra Prakash Singh&#8217;s case (supra) has<\/p>\n<p>    observed thus:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;15. <a href=\"\/doc\/840463\/\">In State of Punjab v. V.K. Khanna&#8217;s<\/a> case<\/p>\n<p>                (supra), this Court held that the concept of fairness<\/p>\n<p>                in administrative action has been the subject-matter<\/p>\n<p>                of considerable judicial debate but there is total<\/p>\n<p>                unanimity on the basic element of the concept to<\/p>\n<p>                the effect that the same is dependent upon the facts<\/p>\n<p>                and circumstances of each matter pending scrutiny<\/p>\n<p>                before the Court and no strait-jacket formula can be<\/p>\n<p>                evolved therefore.   Further it is stated that as a<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                    ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                              13<\/span><\/p>\n<p>     matter of fact, fairness is synonymous with<\/p>\n<p>     reasonableness and on the issue of ascertainment of<\/p>\n<p>     meaning of reasonableness, common English<\/p>\n<p>     parlance referred to as what is in contemplation of<\/p>\n<p>     an ordinary man of prudence similarly placed &#8211; it is<\/p>\n<p>     the appreciation of this common man&#8217;s perception<\/p>\n<p>     in its proper perspective which would prompt the<\/p>\n<p>     Court to determine the situation as to whether the<\/p>\n<p>     same is otherwise reasonable or not. Similarly, the<\/p>\n<p>     existence of mala fide intent or biased attitude<\/p>\n<p>     cannot be put on a strait-jacket formula but depends<\/p>\n<p>     upon facts and circumstances of each case. Further,<\/p>\n<p>     it is said that whereas fairness is synonymous with<\/p>\n<p>     reasonableness &#8211; bias stands included within the<\/p>\n<p>     attributes and broader purview of the word<\/p>\n<p>     &#8220;malice&#8221; which in common acceptation means and<\/p>\n<p>     implies &#8220;spite&#8221; or &#8220;ill will&#8221;.        Mere general<\/p>\n<p>     statements will not be sufficient for the purposes of<\/p>\n<p>     indication of ill will.      There must be cogent<\/p>\n<p>     evidence available on record to come to the<\/p>\n<p>     conclusion as to whether, in fact, there was a bias or<\/p>\n<p>     a mala fide move which resulted in the miscarriage<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                          ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                14<\/span><\/p>\n<p>     of justice. It is also held that the test of bias is as to<\/p>\n<p>     whether there is a mere apprehension of bias or<\/p>\n<p>     there is a real danger of bias and it is on this score<\/p>\n<p>     that the surrounding circumstances must and ought<\/p>\n<p>     to be collated and necessary conclusion drawn<\/p>\n<p>     therefrom. In the event, however, the conclusion is<\/p>\n<p>     otherwise that there exists a real danger of bias,<\/p>\n<p>     administrative action cannot be sustained. If on the<\/p>\n<p>     other hand allegations pertain to rather fanciful<\/p>\n<p>     apprehension in administrative action, question of<\/p>\n<p>     declaring them to be unsustainable on the basis<\/p>\n<p>     therefor, would not arise.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>       16. In Dhampur Sugar (Kashipur) Ltd. v. State<\/p>\n<p>     of Uttaranchal and Ors.&#8217;s case (supra), this Court<\/p>\n<p>     dealing with the question of mala fide exercise of<\/p>\n<p>     power, held as under:\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>            &#8220;Allegations of mala fide are serious in<\/p>\n<p>            nature and they essentially raise a question of<\/p>\n<p>            fact. It is, therefore, necessary for the person<\/p>\n<p>            making such allegations to supply full<\/p>\n<p>            particulars in the petition.        If sufficient<\/p>\n<p>            averments and requisite materials are not on<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                             ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                          15<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                       record, the Court would not make &#8220;fishing&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                       or roving inquiry.     Mere assertion, vague<\/p>\n<p>                       averment or bald statement is not enough to<\/p>\n<p>                       hold the action to be mala fide. It must be<\/p>\n<p>                       demonstrated by facts. Moreover, the burden<\/p>\n<p>                       of proving mala fide is on the person leveling<\/p>\n<p>                       such allegations and the burden is &#8220;very<\/p>\n<p>                       heavy.&#8221; In the present case, except alleging<\/p>\n<p>                       that   the   policy    was    altered     by     the<\/p>\n<p>                       Government to extend the benefit to IGL, no<\/p>\n<p>                       material whatsoever was placed on record by<\/p>\n<p>                       the appellant. It is, therefore, not possible to<\/p>\n<p>                       hold that the impugned action was mala fide<\/p>\n<p>                       or malicious.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    13.          In the present case, it can clearly be seen that though the<\/p>\n<p>    petitioner had number of opportunities, the petitioner has not impleaded<\/p>\n<p>    said Ashok Sharma as party-respondent.          Even otherwise, apart from<\/p>\n<p>    making bald allegations, no particular allegation supported by any cogent<\/p>\n<p>    material has been placed on record by the petitioner in this respect. In the<\/p>\n<p>    absence of any such specific allegations supported by cogent evidence<\/p>\n<p>    being brought on record and such party being made party-respondent, it<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                       ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                         16<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    will not be permissible for this Court to go into the said allegations. In<\/p>\n<p>    any case, from the material placed on record, we find that said Ashok<\/p>\n<p>    Sharma was not a member of the Tender Committee and the said<\/p>\n<p>    Committee consisted of the following three senior Officers:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>          &#8220;1. Shri P.K. Dalal, GM(M), Head Marine Survey &amp;<br \/>\n              Offctdg. HOW.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>           2. Shri A.K. Srinivasan, GM (F&amp;A).\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>           3. Shri A.K.Tewari, GM (MM)-Offctdg.Head MM.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    14.        Insofar as the allegations regarding the the secret information<\/p>\n<p>    being supplied to M\/s.TDI       Brooks is concerned, we find that the<\/p>\n<p>    allegation in this respect is also without any substance. From the material<\/p>\n<p>    on record which is annexed along with the affidavits filed by the<\/p>\n<p>    respondents, it is clear that the information regarding the technical<\/p>\n<p>    collaborators of the petitioner is very much available on the web site of<\/p>\n<p>    the collaborators. The submission on behalf of the respondents, in this<\/p>\n<p>    respects, that the information regarding the collaborators of the petitioner<\/p>\n<p>    being received by the said TDI Brooks from the web site of the said<\/p>\n<p>    collaborators, therefore, appears to be of substance. In that view of the<\/p>\n<p>    matter, we are unable to accept the contention of the petitioner in this<\/p>\n<p>    respect.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                         17<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    15.        While examining the merits of the petitioner&#8217;s case, we will<\/p>\n<p>    have to remind ourselves that while judicially reviewing an administrative<\/p>\n<p>    action, we are concerned with the decision making process of the<\/p>\n<p>    administrative authority and not the ultimate decision. In the case of Tata<\/p>\n<p>    Cellular (supra), the apex Court has observed thus:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;77. The duty of the court is to confine itself to the<\/p>\n<p>                question of legality. Its concern should be:\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                  1. Whether a decision-making authority exceeded<\/p>\n<p>                     its powers?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                  2. Committed an error of law,\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                  3. committed a breach of the rules of natural<\/p>\n<p>                      justice,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                  4. reached a decision which no reasonable<br \/>\n                      tribunal would have reached or,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                   5. abused its powers.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                Therefore, it is not for the court to determine<br \/>\n                whether a particular policy or particular decision<\/p>\n<p>                taken in the fulfilment of that policy is fair. It is<br \/>\n                only concerned with the manner in which those<br \/>\n                decisions have been taken. The extent of the duty<br \/>\n                to act fairly will vary from case to case. Shortly<br \/>\n                put, the grounds upon which an administrative<br \/>\n                action is subject to control by judicial review can<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                            18<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                 be classified as under:\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                     (i) Illegality : This means the decision-maker<\/p>\n<p>                        must understand correctly the law that<\/p>\n<p>                        regulates his decision-making power and<br \/>\n                        must give effect to it.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                     (ii)Irrationality, namely, Wednesbury unreason-\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                        ableness.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                     (iii) Procedural impropriety.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>    After considering the various pronouncements of the apex Court on the<\/p>\n<p>    issue, the apex Court has deduced the principles in paragraph 94, which<\/p>\n<p>    are as under:-\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;94. The principles deducible from the above are:\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                     (1) The modern trend points to judicial restraint<br \/>\n                        in administrative action.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                     (2) The court does not sit as a court of appeal<br \/>\n                        but merely reviews the manner in which the<br \/>\n                        decision was made.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                     (3) The court does not have the expertise to<br \/>\n                        correct the administrative decision.           If a<br \/>\n                        review of the administrative decision is<br \/>\n                        permitted it will be substituting its own<br \/>\n                        decision, without the necessary expertise<br \/>\n                        which itself may be fallible.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                     (4) The terms of the invitation to tender cannot<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                        ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                           19<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                         be open to judicial scrutiny because the<br \/>\n                         invitation to tender is in the realm of<\/p>\n<p>                         contract. Normally speaking, the decision to<\/p>\n<p>                         accept the tender or award the contract is<br \/>\n                         reached by process of negotiations through<br \/>\n                         several tiers.   More often than not, such<\/p>\n<p>                         decisions are made qualitatively by experts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                      (5) The Government must have freedom of<br \/>\n                         contract. In other words, a fair play in the<\/p>\n<p>                         joints is a necessary concomitant for an<\/p>\n<p>                         administrative   body     functioning     in    an<br \/>\n                         administrative sphere or quasi-administrative<\/p>\n<p>                         sphere. However, the decision must not only<br \/>\n                         be tested by the application of Wednesbury<br \/>\n                         principle of reasonableness (including its<\/p>\n<p>                         other facts pointed out above) but must be<\/p>\n<p>                         free from arbitrariness not affected by bias or<br \/>\n                         actuated by mala fides.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>                      (6) Quashing decisions may impose heavy<\/p>\n<p>                         administrative burden on the administration<br \/>\n                         and lead to increased and unbudgeted<br \/>\n                         expenditure.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>    16.          We will have to, therefore, consider as to whether the action of<\/p>\n<p>    the respondents is valid or not within the limited para-meters that are<\/p>\n<p>    available, while reviewing the decision making process of the respondent-\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    authority.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                        ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                            20<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    17.        The limited scope, therefore, is as to whether the action of the<\/p>\n<p>    respondents is vitiated by illegality, irrationality or impropriety. In this<\/p>\n<p>    background, we will have to examine the reasons given by the respondent<\/p>\n<p>    no.1-Corporation while coming to the conclusion that the documents<\/p>\n<p>    supplied by the petitioner do not satisfy the requirement of the technical<\/p>\n<p>    qualification required for the work.\n<\/p>\n<p>    18.<\/p>\n<p>                Insofar as the corporate description of M\/s.Williamson and<\/p>\n<p>    Associates is concerned, the authority has found that the said document<\/p>\n<p>    merely gives the company&#8217;s perspective of its work without any<\/p>\n<p>    supporting documentation. It has been found by the respondents that the<\/p>\n<p>    said document did not establish that the said M\/s.Williamson and<\/p>\n<p>    Associates had successfully completed the type of work which was<\/p>\n<p>    required to qualify for the tender in question. Insofar as the document<\/p>\n<p>    pertaining to contract no.144695-TPE dated 8.10.2008 with Tyco<\/p>\n<p>    Telecommunications dated 8.10.2008 is concerned, the petitioner has<\/p>\n<p>    submitted a survey report and completion certificate dated 31.3.2009.\n<\/p>\n<p>    However, the authority has found that the said work does not meet the<\/p>\n<p>    requirement of the criterion of two years&#8217; experience as required under the<\/p>\n<p>    bid document.     Insofar as the reports submitted by the petitioner of<\/p>\n<p>    Williamson &amp; Associates dated 18.5.2005, it was not taken into<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                           21<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    consideration on the ground that the said report was the document<\/p>\n<p>    prepared by Williamson &amp; Associates themselves and there was no<\/p>\n<p>    corroboration from the clients of Williamson &amp; Associates regarding the<\/p>\n<p>    said work being satisfactorily completed by Williamson &amp; Associates.\n<\/p>\n<p>    The report of the U.S. Geological Survey which was relied upon by the<\/p>\n<p>    petitioner was not taken into consideration as the said report was last<\/p>\n<p>    modified on 4.4.1996 and, as such, it fell beyond the period of ten years<\/p>\n<p>    as required under clause 2.1(a)(i).\n<\/p>\n<p>                           ig              The respondent-authority has found<\/p>\n<p>    that the petitioner has failed to produce any document in the nature of<\/p>\n<p>    contract, work order and completion certificate from the clients of the<\/p>\n<p>    said Williamson &amp; Associates in support of their claim that they had<\/p>\n<p>    experience as per the requirement of the tender document. As such, the<\/p>\n<p>    respondent-authority has found that the petitioner had failed to establish<\/p>\n<p>    that the petitioner was qualified insofar as Part I work i.e. Geophysical<\/p>\n<p>    Survey.\n<\/p>\n<p>    19.       Insofar as Part II i.e. Geo Technical Investigation is concerned,<\/p>\n<p>    upon perusal of the documents submitted by the petitioner regarding the<\/p>\n<p>    experience of M\/s.Carmacoring S.r.I.       working   with ISMAR, it was<\/p>\n<p>    found that the work done by M\/s.Carmacoring was merely supplying two<\/p>\n<p>    technicians and instruments to ISMAR. It was further found that the<\/p>\n<p>    work related to ISMAR does not fall within the requirement of two years&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:53 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                        22<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    experience requirement of BEC. Insofar as the Collaboration Agreement<\/p>\n<p>    is concerned, it was found that M\/s.Carmacoring were mere suppliers of<\/p>\n<p>    equipment that was used in the project Makassar Strait in Indonesia.\n<\/p>\n<p>    Insofar as the letter produced by the petitioner thanking Car. Ma of<\/p>\n<p>    Angelo Magagnoli, it was found by the authority that the said letter does<\/p>\n<p>    not bear out the nature of work done by Car.Ma and the authority has<\/p>\n<p>    further found that if the said letter is read with the Collaboration<\/p>\n<p>    Agreement, the inference that could be drawn would be that it was in the<\/p>\n<p>    context of supplies of equipment made by Car.Ma. Insofar as the Internal<\/p>\n<p>    Report prepared by M\/s.Carmacoring is concerned, it was found by the<\/p>\n<p>    authority that this document is only an Internal Report and does not<\/p>\n<p>    establish any experience of the category required by the BEC. Insofar as<\/p>\n<p>    the company profile of M\/s.Carmacoring is concerned, the authority has<\/p>\n<p>    found that the said company is a mere supplier of instruments and<\/p>\n<p>    equipment for coring.     The respondent-authority has relied on the<\/p>\n<p>    following part of the said document in support of their finding in this<\/p>\n<p>    respect:\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;The technical department is supervised by Angelo<\/p>\n<p>                Magagnoll, a former employee of CNR (Italian<\/p>\n<p>                National Research Council) at the Marine Geology<\/p>\n<p>                Institute in Bologna where he invented and<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                   ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:54 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                           23<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                patented some instruments which are currently on<\/p>\n<p>                the market.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    The respondent-authority has further relied on the following part of the<\/p>\n<p>    said document:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;Carmacoring     S.r.l.   provided   the   equipment<\/p>\n<p>                (CP-20) and the technical personnel for IDMC<\/p>\n<p>                Impressub S.r.l. during the job performed for the<\/p>\n<p>                client Chevron-Unocal.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    Upon entire perusal of this document, the authority has found that the<\/p>\n<p>    work involved was supply of sampling instruments designed by Angelo<\/p>\n<p>    Magagnoll and commercialised by Carmacoring.                  Insofar as the<\/p>\n<p>    completion certificate relied on by the petitioner dated 5.10.2007 is<\/p>\n<p>    concerned, it was found that the said letter had no reference to any work<\/p>\n<p>    order or contract and, therefore, cannot be said to be proof of satisfactory<\/p>\n<p>    completion of any of the work of the nature required under the tender<\/p>\n<p>    document. The authority has further found that the petitioner had not<\/p>\n<p>    submitted any document in support of the petitioner&#8217;s claim that the said<\/p>\n<p>    completion certificate was for completion of the job required as per the<\/p>\n<p>    BEC and was carried out by M\/s.Carmacoring. Insofar as Hermes Cruise<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:54 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                               24<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    Report for ISMAR is concerned, it was found that the said document<\/p>\n<p>    apart from not satisfying the two-year condition of the BEC does not<\/p>\n<p>    establish that the company carried out the work required by the BEC. The<\/p>\n<p>    authority has further found that no work order or contract in support of<\/p>\n<p>    the said document was placed on record. Insofar as the certificate dated<\/p>\n<p>    30.11.2009 issued to the petitioner by ISMAR is concerned, the authority<\/p>\n<p>    has found that the said document merely refers to mobilisation of<\/p>\n<p>    personnel, equipment, handling system, spares on R.V. Urania for the<\/p>\n<p>    cruise called &#8220;Sassi 08&#8221; to carry out jumbo piston coring for sample<\/p>\n<p>    collection. The authority has found that this document is not sufficient to<\/p>\n<p>    establish that sample collection work was done by M\/s.Carmacoring.\n<\/p>\n<p>    Insofar as the Collaboration Agreement for Impressub s.r.l. and the<\/p>\n<p>    Completion Certificate and the Daily Reports are concerned, the authority<\/p>\n<p>    has found that the work was done by Car.Ma and not by M\/s.Carmacoring<\/p>\n<p>    s.r.l. who is the technical collaborator of the petitioner. It was further<\/p>\n<p>    found that the said work was mere supply of instruments and equipment<\/p>\n<p>    with the attending technicians of Car.Ma. The authority while arriving at<\/p>\n<p>    its decision has relied on the following part in the said document itself:-\n<\/p>\n<pre>                 \"A)     Mr.Magnagnoli is the sole owner of the\n\n                 company       denominated         CAR.MA         of    Angelo\n\n<\/pre>\n<p>                 Magagnoli, &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;. dealing with<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                             ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:54 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                            25<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                 the carrying out of the commercial activity of<\/p>\n<p>                 wholesale    and      rental   of   geotechnical       and<\/p>\n<p>                 geophysical instruments;&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>    It was, therefore, found by the respondent-Corporation that insofar as Part<\/p>\n<p>    II of the work is concerned, the petitioner has failed to produce any<\/p>\n<p>    document which would meet the requirement as provided under the tender<\/p>\n<p>    document and as such found it disqualified for Part II work also.\n<\/p>\n<p>    20.        At the cost of repetition, we may state that while exercising<\/p>\n<p>    powers of judicial review of administration action, we are not expected to<\/p>\n<p>    sit in appeal over the decision of the authority. It is not permissible for us<\/p>\n<p>    to examine as to whether the material which has been taken into<\/p>\n<p>    consideration by the authority was sufficient enough to arrive at the<\/p>\n<p>    decision taken by it. It is only permissible for us to examine as to whether<\/p>\n<p>    the decision taken by the authority is fair, reasonable and rational.\n<\/p>\n<p>    Sufficiency or insufficiency of the material would be beyond the scope of<\/p>\n<p>    judicial review in such matters.\n<\/p>\n<p>    21.      From the perusal of the reasons which have been set out in short<\/p>\n<p>    hereinabove, it cannot be said that the reasons given by the authority<\/p>\n<p>    while holding that the documents supplied by the petitioner do not meet<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                        ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:54 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                         26<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    the requirement under the tender document is either unreasonable or<\/p>\n<p>    irrational. It cannot be said that the reasons given by the authority are<\/p>\n<p>    such that no prudent or reasonable man would take in the facts of the case.\n<\/p>\n<p>    It is also nobody&#8217;s case that the yardstick applied by the respondent-\n<\/p>\n<p>    authority to the petitioner are something different than those applied to<\/p>\n<p>    other bidders. The authorities have found that none of the documents<\/p>\n<p>    produced by the petitioner would establish the satisfactory completion of<\/p>\n<p>    the work. The apex Court in the case of Electrical Mfg. Co. Ltd. v.\n<\/p>\n<p>    Power Grid Corpn. of India Ltd. [(2009) 4 SCC 87] has observed thus:-\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>                &#8220;19.    In our opinion the expression &#8220;satisfactory<\/p>\n<p>                completion&#8221; governs sub-clause (i) of Clause 1.1<\/p>\n<p>                also.   Hence mere surveying, optimising tower<\/p>\n<p>                locations, erecting and stringing with tension<\/p>\n<p>                stringing equipment the requisite length of<\/p>\n<p>                transmission lines will not be enough to give the<\/p>\n<p>                necessary technical experience because it is<\/p>\n<p>                possible that even after doing the above work the<\/p>\n<p>                transmission lines may not function. Unless after<\/p>\n<p>                doing the above works the line is tested and found<\/p>\n<p>                to be successfully functioning it surely cannot be<\/p>\n<p>                said that there was satisfactory completion of the<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:54 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                         27<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                 transmission lines.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>    22.     In our considered view, therefore, refusal to accept the documents<\/p>\n<p>    which are relied on by the petitioner on the ground that they did not prove<\/p>\n<p>    that the petitioner or its collaborators had satisfactorily completed any<\/p>\n<p>    work of the nature stipulated in the tender notice can be faulted with. No<\/p>\n<p>    doubt, the apex Court in the case <a href=\"\/doc\/206943\/\">Reliance Energy Ltd. v. Maharashtra<\/p>\n<p>    State Road Development Corpn. Ltd.<\/a> [(2007) 8 SCC 1] has held that it is<\/p>\n<p>    necessary for the authority to provide a level playing field. As observed<\/p>\n<p>    by the apex Court in the said judgement, the level playing field provides<\/p>\n<p>    space within which equally placed competitors are allowed to bid for<\/p>\n<p>    government contracts so as to subserve the larger public interest. It can<\/p>\n<p>    thus be seen that level playing field would be applicable only if bidders<\/p>\n<p>    are equally placed. By no stretch of imagination, the level playing field<\/p>\n<p>    could be provided to the parties who are qualified and also parties who<\/p>\n<p>    are not qualified. In the present case, we do not find that the decision<\/p>\n<p>    arrived at by the authority can be termed as an unreasonable decision and<\/p>\n<p>    that too so unreasonable that a reasonable person would not have arrived<\/p>\n<p>    at it. Applying the principle of Wednesbury reasonableness, we do not<\/p>\n<p>    find that the decision of the authority can be termed to be either<\/p>\n<p>    unreasonable or irrational so as to warrant interference in our<\/p>\n<p>    extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                     ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:54 :::<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">                                          28<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    23.      In the result, the petition fails and is dismissed.\n<\/p>\n<p>    24.     After the judgement was pronounced, the learned counsel<\/p>\n<p>    appearing for the petitioner sought extension of the interim order dated<\/p>\n<p>    24.12.2009 for a period of two weeks from today to enable the petitioner<\/p>\n<p>    to move the Supreme Court. The said request is strongly opposed by the<\/p>\n<p>    learned counsel for the respondent no.1 on the ground that this will result<\/p>\n<p>    in delaying the project as the period will be curtailed for execution of the<\/p>\n<p>    work which is to be done during the current season and the bid would<\/p>\n<p>    expire. Taking into consideration that the petitioner has sought extension<\/p>\n<p>    of the interim order for two weeks, we are inclined to extend the interim<\/p>\n<p>    order till 4.3.2010 on condition that the petitioner shall give 48 hours&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>    notice to the respondents before moving for any interim orders in the<\/p>\n<p>    matter. Order accordingly.\n<\/p>\n<p>                                                 (J.N. PATEL, J.)<\/p>\n<p>                                                 (B. R. GAVAI, J.)<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                       ::: Downloaded on &#8211; 09\/06\/2013 15:37:54 :::<\/span>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bombay High Court Engineering Limited vs Oil &amp; Natural Gas Corporation &#8230; on 18 February, 2010 Bench: J.N. Patel, B.R. Gavai 1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO.41 OF 2010 Coastal Marine Construction &amp; Engineering Limited, 1st floor, Haria&#8217;s Dream Park, `A&#8217; Wing, Mira-Bhayander Road, Mira [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bombay-high-court","category-high-court"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Engineering Limited vs Oil &amp; Natural Gas Corporation ... on 18 February, 2010 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/engineering-limited-vs-oil-natural-gas-corporation-on-18-february-2010\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Engineering Limited vs Oil &amp; 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