The government informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that there was no favouritism in selecting a consultant for the Central Vista project.
A Gujarat-based architecture firm won the consultancy bid for the Centre’s ambitious project to redevelop the Central Vista area of the National Capital.
Appearing before a Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said there was no abdication of duty in the selection of a consultant. An argument that the government could have adopted a better process cannot be a sufficient ground to scrap the project, Mr. Mehta said.
He said the petitioners had not shown any constitutional or statutory breach in the matter and they had only offered an alternative method.
The apex court is hearing several pleas on the issue against various permissions given to the project by the authorities, including the nod to change land use.
The pleas have also challenged the grant of a no-objection certificate by the Central Vista Committee (CVC) and environmental clearances for the construction of a new Parliament building.
