Firm moves apex court after HC dismisses plea
After failing to get relief from the Bombay High Court in getting the Mumbai police to accept a consignment, the Techno Trade Impex India Private Limited (TTIIPL) has now moved the Supreme Court.
After failing to get relief from the Bombay High Court in getting the Mumbai police to accept a consignment, the Techno Trade Impex India Private Limited (TTIIPL) has now moved the Supreme Court.
After the 26/11 attacks in 2008, the Maharashtra police had placed an order with the private firm to provide bomb suits, a robot and, a total containment vessel (TCV) as a part of its modernisation programme. The consignment, however, wasn’t delivered even a year later.
In February this year, TTIIPL filed three petitions in the high court alleging that the police had refused to accept the consignment and clear its dues of Rs14 crore.
The high court dismissed the petitions stating that filing a writ petition was not the solution for getting a contract executed. Besides, the police had sent a letter to TTIIPL asking it to “temporarily stop” the consignments.
Ashok Saraogi, counsel for TTIIPL said: “We have filed special leave petitions in the Supreme Court against the order of the high court dismissing our petition.”
In February, Hindustan Times had carried a three-part series highlighting how the Mumbai and Maharashtra police had realised how ill-equipped the city police were to handle terror strikes involving sophisticated arms and ammunition. The state, as a part of its police modernisation plan, decided to fortify the force with better arms, equipment and protective gear.
TTIIPL petitions states that the consignment of bomb suits and TCV could not be stopped as it had already been dispatched from the US.
Eighty-two bomb suits, which reached India in August 2009, are lying in the TTIIPL’s godown at Bhiwandi. The TCV, which reached India in May 2009, is stationed outside its office in Malad, claimed TTIIPL.
The government and the Mumbai police denied the allegations that they refused to accept the consignment, claiming that the money had been advanced for procuring the bulletproof jackets. However, the government said it wanted to first test the jackets before accepting the consignment.
The government also claimed that when TTIIPL filed the petitions in the high court, only 14 jackets were ready.