The Bombay High Court dismissed a petition which challenged a contract awarded by the government of Maharashtra to Adani Group. The petition was filed by Shriraj Nageshwar Aepurwar.
The bench comprised of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the petitioner for filling a vague petition. Shriraj claimed that the contract which was awarded to Adani group to supply 6,600 Megawatt renewable and thermal energy was a clear violation of the petitioner’s fundamental right to have access to fair electricity supply at a reasonable rate.
The application further mentioned serious allegations on former Maharashtra CM and current Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was involved in giving contract to Adani Group.
While dismissing the petition, the bench said as quoted by PTI, “In our opinion, filing of such petitions containing unsubstantiated and reckless averments run the risk of sometimes even good causes being lost.”
The petition made vague allegations of the involvement of the government into the whole matter and stated that the allocation of contract was a scam.
According to the High Court, the petition did not have any proof which showcased that Eknath Shinde was directly involved in any corrupt practices. The court added that the petitioner was never a participant in the tender process of the contract.
The court ordered a fine of Rs 50,000 on the petitioner which has to be deposited to the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority.