Modernisation of Rajarathinam stadium in Egmore: Madras High Court prevents issue of work order

The Madras High Court has restrained the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation Limited (TNPHCL) from issuing a work order to a private company for the construction of modern sports facilities for holding high jump and throwing events, besides laying a synthetic athletics track, at Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore, Chennai, at an outlay of ₹12 crore.

Justice M. Dhandapani granted the interim injunction pursuant to a writ petition filed by an unsuccessful bidder, Advanced Sport Technologies LLP, against the successful bidder, Michezo Sports Infrastructure Private Limited. The petitioner had accused the successful bidder of not having met the pre-qualification criteria, even for the opening of the technical bids.

Senior counsel Abdul Saleem, representing the petitioner, said the TNPHCL had issued a tender notification on July 1, 2025, calling for bids for the project by August 4, 2025. As per the tender conditions, the bidders must have been the prime contractors, in the past five years, for the installation of the product offered by them in at least three synthetic track projects.

Claiming that Michezo had not submitted any document to prove that it had been the prime contractor for any project, the counsel said that yet, the TNPHCL had accepted its technical bid, along with those of three other companies, which included the petitioner. He also stated that Michezo had not submitted proof of international/national events having been held on the tracks installed by it.

The petitioner company had reportedly made a representation to the TNPHCL on August 21, 2025, highlighting the lapses committed by Michezo. It was followed up with another representation on August 25, 2025. Instead of ordering an inquiry, the TNPHCL opened the price bids on August 25, 2025, and declared Michezo as the succesful bidder on August 26, 2025, the counsel complained.

Since the project was to be carried out with public money to the tune of ₹12 crore, the petitioner company stated that it would not be appropriate to issue the work order for a company that did not even possess the requisite qualifications for participating in the tender process. It sought a direction to the TNPHCL to reject the tender submitted by Michezo, allegedly in violation of the pre-qualification requirements.