Striking a conciliatory note, the Supreme Court directed the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to maintain status quo in the auction process of the iconic Taj Mansingh Hotel here, run by Tata Group’s Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL).
A bench of Justices P.C. Ghose and U.U. Lalit also declined the council’s plea to restrain the hotel from taking any fresh bookings while observing that it would be “very difficult” to do so in a hotel which is still carrying on full-fledged business. IHCL, which runs the Taj Mansingh Hotel in Delhi, moved the Supreme Court on November 8 challenging a Delhi High Court order on October 27 to initiate the auction of the premium property located in Lutyens Delhi. IHCL had appealed to the Division Bench of High Court against a decision of the Single Judge in September. The Single Judge had declined the company’s request to renew its licence and had given the go-ahead for the auction. The property, owned by NDMC, was given to IHCL on a lease of 33 years. The lease had ended in 2011 and the company was given several temporary extensions.
