PUNJAB COMMUNICATIONS LTD. vs UNION OF INDIA . — C.A. No. 2685 - 2686/1999

SUMMARY The Supreme Court dismissed Punjab Communications Ltd.'s appeals challenging the cancellation of an Asian Development Bank-funded tender for rural telephones in Eastern UP. Although the appellant alleged fraud and conspiracy by DOT officials to shelve the ADB loan and reject its bid, the Court found these issues became moot when the ADB loan was withdrawn and the Government shifted policy to provide telephones across backward rural areas nationwide rather than Eastern UP alone. The Court held that this policy change was rationally justified under Wednesbury principles and did not violate the appellant's substantive legitimate expectation, rejecting the appeals without costs. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.