Guj HC notice to State on plea alleging irregularities in tender of Aadhaar enrollement kits [Read Oral Order]

NEW DELHI: The Gujarat High Court has sought a response from the state government on a plea alleging irregularities in award of tender process for Aadhaar card enrollement kits, resulting into severe loss to the exchequer of state as well as the Centre.

A bench of then Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri issued notice to the Gujarat government on a petition filed by Foxbase Technologies Pvt Ltd. The court sought response from the Gujarat government's Panchayat and Rural Housing Department by February 28.

The petitioner company was represented by advocate Ilin Saraswat with Sikander Saiyed.

According to the writ petition, the Gujarat Panchayat and Rural Home Department had issued tenders for Aadhaar card enrollment kit in June 2022, in which six companies participated in the bid.

But the Gujarat Panchayat and Rural Home Department, while allotting the tender and award, ignored and violated the settled guidelines which were issued through circular of the Central Vigilance Commission in 2012 and awarded the tender to three companies which were completely ineligible as per the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission, it claimed.

The plea claimed the CVC Circular clearly stated that in the tender process only a principal company or one of its agents can participate in the bid process.

"But the main company and its two agents also participated in this tender process and got the tender issued in the names of all three of them. The award for the June 2022 tender was also given just a day before the model code of conduct implemented by Election Commission in Gujarat for the Assembly elections in November," the plea said.

One of the disqualified bidders, Foxbase Technology Pvt Limited filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court against the Gujarat Panchayat and Rural Home Department and others, apprehensive of irregularities due to this process and discrepancies in the tender awarding process and purchasing of kits at a much higher prices than the standard prices established by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India (UIDAI) in 2018 through a circular.

 [Read Oral Order]