State Of Jharkhand & Ors vs M/S Cwe-Soma Consortium

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision that the tender committee's reliance on clause 4.18 of the Central Vigilance Commission Guidelines was improper, as clause 4.17 should have been applied due to the presence of competition among bidders. The Court emphasized that the tender process must align with public interest and that re-tendering could lead to increased costs detrimental to the state exchequer. The appeal by the State of Jharkhand was dismissed, affirming the lower court's ruling against arbitrary administrative action.