In an interesting turn in the Taj Mansingh saga, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to intervene in a Delhi High Court order, paving the way for the e-auction of the hotel. This gives the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) the green signal to go ahead with the auction of the hotel.
This comes after the Tata Group-owned Indian Hotel Company Ltd (IHCL) knocked the doors of the apex court, challenging the May 22 order of the Delhi High Court allowing the e-auction.
Following the Supreme Court decision not to intervene in the matter, IHCL said in a statement it has withdrawn the special leave petition before the Supreme Court, as the latter is “not inclined at this point to intervene in the ongoing tender process for the licensing rights of Taj Mansingh”.
“We remain confident of our credentials and convinced that our continued partnership with NDMC will ensure the success of this iconic hotel,” the IHCL statement added. The e-auction of the hotel is to be conducted on June 19.
In 2013, IHCL had initially moved the Delhi High Court, seeking to restrain the NDMC from auctioning the Taj Mansingh Hotel after a committee declined to renew the licence in its favour for 30 years. NDMC and IHCL had signed an agreement in 1976 for 33 years.