The Delhi High Court has asked the government to go through the tender process for procuring contraceptives/condoms for distribution under the National Rural Health Mission.
It passed this interim order while hearing a case filed by a private condom manufacturer that the government might cancel the tender process and by doing so, the company may be deprived of a big contract.
“This petition is filed based on the apprehension that each time a tender is floated and he is the highest bidder, subsequently the tender is cancelled. This time also apprehending that the tender will be cancelled, he is before the court. Till the next date of hearing, no cancellation order should be passed,” said a Bench of Justice Badar Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, while directing the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to file its counter affidavit within two weeks.
The private company in its petition has alleged that last year too, it had emerged as the highest bidder but that the government had cancelled the tender process and awarded the contract to a public sector undertaking.
It approached the High Court stating that this year too if the same thing happened he would stand to lose a contract for the supply of over 100 million pieces of contraceptives/condoms.
Next hearing on July 14
The court said that any decision could be made only after all the respondents file their counter affidavits the next day of hearing, which has been fixed for July 14.
Directs the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to file its counter affidavit within two weeks.
