JODHPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has cancelled an e-auction of a limestone block and directed the auctioning agency MSTC to carry out the process afresh.While disposing of a petition pertaining to the auctioning of a limestone block in Nagaur district, the court observed that it cannot shut its eyes to the revenue losses.Referring to the auction, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur remarked, “The court could not understand why the government was seen standing with the bid leading to a revenue loss of thousands of crores of rupees. The judiciary cannot sit silent on such a huge loss to the government exchequer.” The court directed the auctioning agency MSTC to begin auctioning with minimum 50% bid of the total mineral value.Ramit Mehta, counsel for the petitioner, the JSW Cement, said that three companies had participated in an eauction of a limestone block spread in an area of 357 hectares in Pithasar in Nagaur.“The Ambuja cement was declared winner with its bid at 41.60% of the total mineral value. When the JSW Cement attempted to increase its bid, the website of the MSTC stopped working and the JSW Cement could not revise its bid, which resulted in losing the auction,” Mehta said.Challenging this decision in court, the JSW Cement stated that Ambuja was declared a preferred bidder at 41.60 % of the mineral value though the JSW Cement Ltd was ready to go up to 50% of the mineral value but failed to do so in spite of bringing the matter of non-functioning of the website to MSTC within the stipulated time.“Instead of taking the required step, the MSTC continued with the process and declared Ambuja Cement winner of the bid at 41.60%,” Mehta told court.Mehta argued that in this situation public revenue loss was approximated to Rs 2000 crores, which could have been avoided, had the JSW Cement been given opportunity to revise its bid.

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