M/S. Sahara Ex Servicemen Welfare … vs Jaipur Development Authority on 29 April, 2026

    0
    36
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Rajasthan High Court – Jaipur

    M/S. Sahara Ex Servicemen Welfare … vs Jaipur Development Authority on 29 April, 2026

      [2026:RJ-JP:17798]
    
    
    
               HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN
                           BENCH AT JAIPUR
    
                    S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 5442/2026
       M/s. Sahara Ex Servicemen Welfare Co-Operative Society
       Limited, 304, 54 R.k. Puram Naxgar, Near Khirni Phatak,
       Khatipura Jaipur Through Its President Samandar Singh
       Choudhary S/o Shri Sukhram Singh Choudhary Aged 72 Years,
       R/o 54, R.k. Puram White Temple, Khatipura, Vaishali Nagar,
       Jaipur.
                                                                           ----Petitioner
                                           Versus
       1.       Jaipur Development Authority, Ram Kishore Vyas
                Bhawan, Indira Circle, Jawhar Lal Nehru Marg, Jaipur
                Through Its Commissioner
       2.       Deputy    Commissioner     (Administration)  Jaipur
                Development Authority, Room No.15 M.b., Ram Kishore
                Vyas Bhawan, Indira Circle, Jawhar Lal Nehru Marg,
                Jaipur
       3.       Additional      Commissioner    Administration, Jaipur
                Development Authority, Ram Kishore Vyas Bhawan,
                Indira Circle, Jawhar Lal Nehru Marg, Jaipur.
                                                                        ----Respondents

    For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Jagmohan Saxena with
    Mr. Khushal Singh Rathore
    For Respondent(s) : Ms. Ambika Sharma

    HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE SAMEER JAIN
    Judgment

    SPONSORED

    1 Arguments concluded on 27/04/2026
    2 Judgment Reserved on 27/04/2026
    3 Full Judgment or Operative Part Pronounced Full Judgment
    4 Pronounced on 29/04/2026

    REPORTABLE :

    1. The present writ petition has been filed invoking the

    extraordinary writ jurisdiction of this Court under Article 226 of

    the Constitution of India. The petitioner is aggrieved by the

    impugned cancellation order dated 18.03.2026 passed by

    respondent No.3, whereby the work order and the agreement

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (2 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    dated 24.11.2025 issued in favor of the petitioner were cancelled

    on account of the submission of a false and concocted affidavit at

    the time of submitting the bid.

    FACTUAL MATRIX OF THE LIS AT HAND

    2. The factual matrix culminating in the present adjudication, in

    a nutshell, is delineated as under:

    2.1 The respondent No.1-Jaipur Development Authority (for

    short, ‘JDA’) issued a Notice Inviting Bid (for short, ‘NIB’ or

    ‘Tender Document’) dated 08.08.2025 (Annexure-3), inter alia

    inviting online applications for providing various services such as

    Securitymen Supervisor (Highly Skilled), Security Men (Skilled),

    and IV Class (Unskilled Labour) services for a period of one year.

    2.2 The petitioner, in pursuance of the said NIB, claiming to

    possess the requisite eligibility, submitted its bid along with a duly

    notarized affidavit dated 27.08.2025 (Annexure-4). In the said

    affidavit, it was categorically sworn and stated that the petitioner

    has never been debarred, blacklisted, or declared a defaulter by

    any government department, board, corporation, authority,

    council, hospital, semi-government department, or co-operative

    unit, and none of the office bearers of the petitioner had been

    convicted by any Court of Law.

    2.3 Consequent to the opening of the bids, the petitioner was

    declared as the successful bidder. Pursuant thereto, the work

    order dated 24.11.2025 (Annexure-5) came to be issued in favour

    of the petitioner, and thereafter the contract dated 24.11.2025

    (Annexure-6) was executed inter se the parties.

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (3 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    2.4 The genesis of the dispute inter se the parties arose upon

    the receipt of a Show Cause Notice (for short, ‘SCN’) dated

    02.02.2026 (Annexure-7) issued by respondent No.3 which

    included a copy of an office order dated 09.12.2024 issued by the

    Sawai Mansingh Hospital, Jaipur (for short, ‘SMS Hospital’). The

    SCN alleged that the petitioner secured the said work order by

    submitting a false and concocted affidavit in gross violation of the

    technical eligibility enshrined under Point No. 13 of Annexure-I,

    Part-A of the Technical Bid, suppressing its prior debarment by the

    SMS Hospital.

    2.5 Finding the reply to the SCN to be evasive and

    unsatisfactory, respondent No.3, vide order dated 18.03.2026

    (Annexure-10), cancelled the work order and the contract qua the

    petitioner, along with forfeiture of the bank guarantee, and further

    debarred the petitioner from taking part in future NIBs for a

    period of six months on account of procuring the work order

    through fraudulent means.

    SUBMISSIONS PUT FORTH ON BEHALF OF THE PARTIES

    3. At the outset, Mr. Jagmohan Saxena, learned counsel

    appearing on behalf of the petitioner, submitted that the impugned

    cancellation order is ex facie illegal and suffers from patent

    arbitrariness. The primary contention advanced by the petitioner is

    anchored on the timeline of the debarment. It was apprised to this

    Court that the petitioner was debarred by the SMS Hospital for a

    limited period of six months, spanning from 09.12.2024 to

    06.06.2025. It was next submitted that the present NIB was

    issued subsequently on 08.08.2025, and the petitioner submitted

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (4 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    its bid on 27.08.2025, and that the petitioner was not actively

    debarred at the time of submission of the bid. Thus, operating

    under the bona fide belief that past debarments did not disqualify

    the bidder, the petitioner did not disclose the same.

    4. Per contra, Ms. Ambika Sharma, learned counsel appearing

    on behalf of the respondents, vehemently opposed the present

    petition. It was stoutly contended by the learned counsel that the

    petitioner deliberately concealed the material fact qua its

    debarment by the SMS Hospital. It was submitted that by doing

    so, the petitioner submitted a false and concocted affidavit in

    order to unlawfully gain the work order. It was urged that this

    active suppression is in gross violation of Point No. 13 of

    Annexure-I, Part-A of the Technical Bid, and therefore, the

    respondents have rightly issued the impugned cancellation order

    in accordance with the provisions enshrined under Clause 13 of

    the Tender Document.

    DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS

    5. Having heard the submissions advanced by the learned

    counsel for the parties and upon an assiduous perusal of the

    material available on record, including but not limited to the

    affidavit dated 27.08.2025 furnished by the petitioner and the

    office order dated 09.12.2024 issued by the SMS Hospital, the

    sole issue for determination before this Court is whether the

    suppression of the past debarment by the petitioner-society by

    way of furnishing a duly notarized affidavit warranted the issuance

    of the impugned cancellation order.

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (5 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    6. It is an admitted position that the petitioner, in pursuance of

    the NIB in question, submitted its bid along with a duly notarized

    affidavit dated 27.08.2025, wherein it was categorically stated

    that the petitioner had never been debarred, blacklisted, or

    declared a defaulter by any government department, board,

    corporation, authority, council, hospital, semi-government

    department, or co-operative unit, and none of the office bearers of

    the petitioner had been convicted by any Court of Law. It is

    pertinent to note that the petitioner, by way of the said affidavit,

    had undertaken that if any of the conditions enshrined under the

    Tender Document is violated, the bid of the petitioner will be

    cancelled.

    7. It is equally undisputed that vide the impugned cancellation

    order dated 18.03.2026, the contract and the work order qua the

    petitioner have been cancelled by respondent No.3 on account of

    furnishing a false and concocted affidavit.

    8. At this stage, it is apposite to refer to the provisions under

    which the cancellation order qua the petitioner has been issued by

    the respondents.

    9. It is the case of the respondents that as per the technical

    eligibility enshrined under Point No. 13 of Annexure-I, Part-A of

    the Technical Bid, every bidder at the time of submission of its bid

    is under a mandatory obligation to declare by way of an affidavit

    that the bidder is not blacklisted or declared defaulter by any

    government department, board, corporation. The said eligibility is

    reproduced as under:

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (6 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    13. cksyhnkrk QeZ ds fdlh jktdh; cksyhnkrk }kjk bl lEcU/k
    laLFkk@cksMZ@dkWjiksjs’ku ls Cysd&fyLVsM vFkok esa :i;s 100-00 ds
    fMQkYVj ugha gksuk pkfg,A ukWu&T;wfMf’k;y LVkEi ij
    ‘kiFk&i= izLrqr djuk gSA

    10. Moreover, Annexure A of the Tender Document, Compliance

    with the Code of Integrity and No Conflict of Interest Clause, sub-

    clause (b), also imposes a mandatory condition upon the

    petitioner to not misrepresent or mislead the respondents to gain

    any benefit, and sub-clause (h) casts an obligation to disclose any

    debarment by any other procuring entity. The said clauses are

    reproduced as under:

    “…(b) Not misrepresent or omit that misleads or
    attempts to mislead so as to obtain a financial or other
    benefit or avoid an obligation;

    (h) Disclose any previous transgressions with any
    entity in India or any other country during the last
    three years or any debarment by any other procuring
    entity…”

    (emphasis supplied)

    11. The respondents, prima facie, established their case by

    pointing out a manifest incongruity in the said affidavit furnished

    by the petitioner. The nitty-gritty of the instant dispute reveals

    that upon a bare perusal of the affidavit, it was categorically

    sworn that the petitioner had never been debarred, blacklisted, or

    declared a defaulter till the date of furnishing the said affidavit.

    However, the order dated 09.12.2024 issued by the SMS Hospital

    explicitly states that the petitioner had been debarred from taking

    part in the tender process for a period of six months. This overlap,

    coupled with the active suppression of a transgression that fell

    within the restrictive 3-year window outlined in Annexure A(h),

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (7 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    casts a serious shadow of doubt on the authenticity and legal

    validity of the said affidavit.

    12. As the said fact came into the knowledge of the respondents,

    and after issuance of the SCN dated 02.02.2026, the respondents

    invoked Clause 13 of the Tender Document, which reserves the

    right to terminate the contract, forfeit the bank guarantee,

    blacklist the bidder, and cancelled the contract and the work order

    of the petitioner on account of gross violation of the terms and

    conditions enshrined under the NIB. For a meticulous

    understanding of the case at hand, the said clause is reproduced

    as under:

    ^^13&,tsUlh dk dk;Z larks”kizn ugha ik;s tkus ij vFkok vuqcU/k dh ‘krksZ
    dk mYya?ku djus ij vuqcU/k rqjUr izHkko ls lekIr fd;k tk ldsxk ,oa
    ,slh ,tsUlh dks fu;ekuqlkj CySd fyLV djus dh dk;Zokgh Hkh dh tk
    ldsxh ,oa dk;Z lEiknu izfrHkwfr jkf’k tCr dh tk ldsxhA**
    (emphasis supplied)

    13. In light of the above-mentioned provisions enshrined under

    the Tender Document, the respondents possess the indefeasible

    authority to cancel the work order of the bidder if the foundation

    of such work order is built upon false and concocted information.

    Therefore, it can be said that the respondents have the rightful

    authority to issue the cancellation order to any bidder if there is a

    violation of any of the above-mentioned provisions.

    14. Thus, operating as the sentinel on the qui vive (watchful

    guardian of rights), this Court finds itself in complete consonance

    with the arguments advanced by the learned counsel for the

    respondents. The petitioner’s contention that the debarment

    period had expired prior to the NIB is legally hollow, inasmuch as

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (8 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    the Code of Integrity expressly mandated the disclosure of any

    previous transgressions within the last three years. The affidavit

    qua declaration of blacklisting, debarment, or being declared a

    defaulter by any procuring entity is required to analyze the past

    operational record and commercial integrity of the bidder, and

    therefore, the petitioner cannot escape from its liability by taking

    a plea that at the time of the submission of the bid, the petitioner

    was not actively debarred by any procuring entity.

    15. The petitioner deliberately misrepresented and misled the

    respondents by concealing and suppressing the material fact of

    previous debarment by the SMS Hospital and furnished a false and

    concocted affidavit in order to gain an undue advantage by

    obtaining a work order from the respondents.

    16. For the better adjudication of the case at hand, this Court

    places reliance upon the dictum encapsulated by the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court in The State of Madhya Pradesh v. U.P. State

    Bridge Corporation Limited, reported in 2020 INSC 686,

    wherein dealing with the issue qua suppression of material facts in

    a Tender Document, it was categorically held that the non-

    disclosure of an adverse order or an indictment constitutes a

    “fraudulent practice” aimed at influencing the bidding process. The

    relevant extract of the aforesaid dictum is reproduced as under:

    “19….Also, Shri Saurabh Mishra is correct in stating
    that “fraudulent practice”, as defined in clause 4.3(b) of
    the N.I.T., would include an omission of facts or
    disclosure of incomplete facts in order to influence
    the bidding process. In the facts of the present case,
    there is clearly an omission of a most relevant fact and

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (9 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    suppression of the same fact, namely that an FIR had
    been lodged against UPSBC in respect of the
    construction of a bridge by it, which had collapsed, and
    in which a charge sheet had been lodged.”

    (emphasis supplied)

    17. Additionally, addressing the gravity of submitting false and

    concocted affidavits to secure commercial contracts, the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court in M/s. Sciemed Overseas Inc. v. BOC India

    Limited & Ors., reported in (2016) 3 SCC 70, deprecated such

    practices, unequivocally laying down that the sanctity of affidavits

    must be preserved and protected. The relevant extract of the said

    dictum is reproduced as under:

    “2. A global search of cases pertaining to the filing of a
    false affidavit indicates that the number of such cases
    that are reported has shown an alarming increase in
    the last fifteen years as compared to the number of
    such cases prior to that. This ‘trend’ is certainly an
    unhealthy one that should be strongly discouraged,
    well before the filing of false affidavits gets to be
    treated as a routine and normal affair.”

    (emphasis supplied)

    PARTING NOTE AND CONCLUSION

    18. Relying upon the office order dated 09.12.2024 issued by the

    SMS Hospital, the respondents acted strictly in accordance with

    the provisions enshrined under the Tender Document, and rightly

    issued the impugned cancellation order dated 18.03.2026. The

    action of the respondents inter alia cancelling the work order of

    the petitioner, along with the forfeiture of the bank guarantee and

    debarment of the petitioner from taking part in the future NIBs for

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)
    [2026:RJ-JP:17798] (10 of 10) [CW-5442/2026]

    a period of six months on account of the grave misconduct of

    procuring the work order through fraudulent means, was taken

    after providing opportunity of being heard, following the due

    procedure of law, and adhering to the principles of natural justice.

    19. It is trite that if the seeds of a commercial relationship

    between a private entity and the State are planted in fraud, every

    subsequent offshoot that grows from such seeds, including the

    work order, the contract inter se the parties, and even subsequent

    work done under the said contract, is fatally infected with the

    poison of fraud. A product of fraud is fundamentally in conflict with

    the public policy of India, and the basic notions of morality and

    justice. Consequently, a tender issuing authority is entirely

    justified in terminating a contract and cancelling the work order

    the moment it is established that the successful bidder relied on a

    false representation to cross the threshold of technical or financial

    eligibility.

    20. In view of the foregoing discussions, findings, and analysis,

    this Court is of the view that the petitioner has failed to establish

    any illegality, arbitrariness, or procedural irregularity in issuance of

    the cancellation order dated 18.03.2026 by the respondents.

    Thus, no interference is warranted upon the said impugned order

    by this Court.

    21. Accordingly, the present writ petition, being bereft of any

    merit, stands dismissed. Pending applications, if any, shall stand

    disposed of. No order as to costs.

    (SAMEER JAIN),J

    Preeti Asopa

    (Uploaded on 29/04/2026 at 02:32:59 PM)
    (Downloaded on 29/04/2026 at 11:33:38 PM)

    Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)



    Source link

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here