Kochi: The high court has upheld the contract awarded to Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering for the controlled demolition of dilapidated Towers B and C of Chander Kunj Army Tower at Vyttila, dismissing petitions filed by two Tamil Nadu-based companies challenging the tender process.
The 70:30 weightage was fixed on April 28, 2026, before the financial bids were submitted or opened. Rejecting the petitioners’ contentions, the court noted that the tender envisaged a combined technical and financial evaluation, though the ratio was initially unspecified. Hence, the criteria could not have been fixed to favour any particular bidder, as the lowest bidder could not have been identified at that stage. The court also emphasised that safety concerns, including the protection of Tower A and the nearby Kochi Metro rail line, justified giving predominance to technical competence over financial considerations. It observed that Edifice Engineering had a proven track record of controlled demolitions in India. Relying on Supreme Court precedents in Jagdish Mandal and Afcons Infrastructure cases, the court held that judicial review in tender matters is permissible only in cases of mala fide, arbitrariness or violation of public interest, none of which had been established. Accordingly, both petitions were dismissed.