ESL STEEL LIMITED Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ petition has been preferred seeking the following reliefs:

(2.) The petition itself has come to be instituted in the backdrop of a process initiated by the Nominated Authority for allotment of the Parbatpur Central Coal Mine. The aforesaid coal mine which was initially allotted to the Steel Authority of India Limited ["SAIL"] has come to be included in a tendering process initiated by the respondents consequent to SAIL having submitted a request for surrender of the coal mine. That request, which was submitted by SAIL, ultimately came to be accepted by the Nominated Authority on 5/12/2019 and a further decision taken to initiate the process of allocation in accordance with the procedure prescribed in the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 ["the Act"].

(3.) A Notice Inviting Tenders ["NIT"] was thereafter issued. The petitioner desirous of seeking certain clarifications with respect to the "Fixed Amount" payable to the prior allottee appears to have addressed a letter to the respondents. Having failed to receive a satisfactory response, the present writ petition has come to be instituted. The last date for submission of bids stands extended upto 3/8/2022 as was noticed by the Court in its order of 19/7/2022. The NIT while setting out the payments required to be made by the successful bidder makes the following provisions: