Madras HC reserves verdict on pleas challenging CCTV tender for TN Assembly polls

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday reserved orders on writ petitions challenging the eligibility criteria in a major surveillance tender floated for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

The case has drawn attention due to concerns that the conditions could restrict fair competition in a high-value public contract.

The petitions, filed by Delhi-based Innovatiview India Limited and Chennai-based I-Net Secure Labs Private Limited, alleged that the tender conditions imposed by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) were excessively stringent and effectively excluded several capable bidders from participating in the process.

The division bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan heard detailed arguments from all sides and, noting the urgency, said it would endeavour to deliver its order at the earliest, as the deadline for submission of bids and opening of technical bids was scheduled later in the day.

The tender involves the installation of around 1.5 lakh cameras across 75,000 polling stations and 3,744 cameras in counting centres for live webcasting during the election process. The project is estimated to be worth approximately Rs 120 crore and is aimed at enhancing transparency and monitoring.