September 8, 2025: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay the Dharavi redevelopment project, paving the way for India’s largest slum renewal scheme to proceed.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar issued notices to the Maharashtra government and Adani Properties Pvt Ltd, which was awarded the tender, in response to a petition by UAE-based Seclink Technologies Corporation. The matter will now be heard in the week commencing 25 May.
In December 2024, the Bombay High Court upheld the award of the project to the Adani Group, dismissing Seclink’s challenge. The court ruled that the state’s decision showed no “arbitrariness, unreasonableness or perversity”, and confirmed that the tender process had been transparent.
The 259-hectare project in central Mumbai was awarded to Adani Properties in 2022, with a bid of ₹5,069 crore. Seclink, however, argued that its earlier bid of ₹7,200 crore in 2018—later cancelled when the tender was scrapped—should have been considered. In court, Seclink’s counsel even offered to raise its offer by 20 per cent to ₹8,640 crore while agreeing to meet the same obligations imposed on Adani.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Adani, said construction had already begun, funds deposited, and around 2,000 workers engaged. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta confirmed that some railway quarters had been demolished as part of the ongoing works.
Dharavi, one of the world’s most densely populated informal settlements, is home to both residential colonies and small-scale industries. The redevelopment project, first tendered in 2018, was reissued in 2022 following delays caused by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine war.
The Supreme Court has directed Adani Properties to route all project payments through a single bank account while clarifying that no special equities may be claimed by either party.
Source: Tax TMI
