Supreme Court Closes Curative Plea on Nagpur Airport Dispute

The Supreme Court has dismissed a curative plea filed by the Centre and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) against a decision that allowed GMR Airports to upgrade and operate Nagpur's Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport. The decision was made following the Solicitor General's advice that the plea did not meet necessary legal requirements.

The Supreme Court has concluded proceedings on a curative plea by the Centre and the Airport Authority of India (AAI), which aimed to contest a verdict allowing GMR Airports to upgrade and operate Nagpur's Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.

The decision came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta noted that the plea did not fit within the legal parameters for such actions. Mehta also indicated that the government did not have a strong ground for arguing bias or being unheard. This curative plea is the last legal recourse in litigation and was designed under a 2002 Supreme Court ruling. It can only be filed if there are specific violations, such as the principle of natural justice, apprehension of bias, and abuse of judicial processes.

Although the Supreme Court acknowledged the Solicitor General's concerns about a judgment indicating that AAI and the Union of India were not necessary parties to the litigation, the bench ultimately dismissed the curative plea. The case originally pertained to a 2020 communication cancelling GMR Airports' contract for the upgradation of the Nagpur airport, a decision later upheld by the Bombay High Court and affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)