MUMBAI, January 8: The Bombay High Court has restrained Food Corporation of India (FCI) from selling 10,000 metric tonnes of "D" quality rice, valued at Rs seven crore, to a grain merchant in Delhi or any other trader in the country without inviting tenders or price bids.The interim ruling was delivered by chief justice M B Shah and Justice Rajan Kochar on Wednesday on a writ petition filed by Surendrakumar Tilakram Agarwal, a licenced wholesale grain merchant of agriculture produce market committee in Navi Mumbai. S P Kanuga, counsel for the petitioner, contended that FCI had through private negotiations decided to sell 10,000 metric tonnes of "D" grade rice to one Agarwal, a trader of Naya Bazaar in Delhi.FCI counsel, R V Desai, contended that in exceptional cases, the government had the right to bypass normal procedures of calling bids or inviting tenders.Directing FCI to file a detailed affidavit in reply to the petition, the division bench adjourned the matter for further hearing to January 21.Citing a Supreme Court judgment cancelling allotment of petrol pumps by former Union Minister Capt Satish Sharma, counsel for petitioner said that even while exercising discretionary powers, transparency had to be maintained in the deals.The petitioner argued that selling rice without inviting tenders amounted to "gross" misuse of power and abuse of public office. The rice, which has become the subject matter of the petition, is now lying in godowns at Mumbai, Nagpur, Akola, Chandrapur and Amravati, the court was informed.
