The Kerala High Court on Monday, 19 October, dismissed a petition filed by the state government challenging the Centre’s decision to entrust the management of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the hands of the Adani Group, reported The Indian Express.
In February 2019, Adani Enterprises had won the lease for operation, management and development of six airports, including Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, for a period of 50 years.
Following the Union Cabinet’s approval of the decision, Kerala had written two letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing its inability in implementing the decision.
The state also alleged that its proposal to manage the airport had been sidelined by the Centre, even after it had offered to bid at the same scale as Adani Enterprises. Things caught on and even the Congress, which is in opposition in Kerala, joined the protest.
In 2019, the Kerala High Court had dismissed the original petition, which was then challenged before the Supreme Court. The apex court, in turn, set the judgement of the High Court aside, but sent it back to the highest judiciary in Kerala for a reexamination based on merit.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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