M A I N   N E W S

Panipat highway
SC firm on March 13 deadline
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, November 4
The Supreme Court has refused to review its verdict setting March 31, 2015 as the deadline for completion of the widening work on the 291-km Panipat-Jalandhar highway, forming part of NH-1. Under the project, two additional lanes are being constructed by Soma Isolux within the time-line, failing which the company would have to pay penalty.

A bench comprising Justices Anil R Dave and PC Ghose passed the order dismissing the petitions of both the Haryana government and the Centre seeking a review of the April 17, 2014 judgment.

“We have perused the review petitions and record of the civil appeal and are convinced that the order of which review has been sought does not suffer from any error apparent warranting its reconsideration,” the bench said.

In the April 17 judgment, delivered by Justices Gyan Sudha Misra (since retired) and Ghose, the SC has also directed the company to submit quarterly progress reports to the National Highway Authority (NHAI) on the construction work. The apex court had set aside the May 27, 2013 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court cancelling the May 2008 contract awarded to the company.