A Dubai-based consortium that bid for the redevelopment of one of the world's largest slum settlements in Mumbai has taken its fight to India's Supreme Court, alleging that the rules were changed after it had already emerged as the top bidder.

Dharavi, spread across roughly 2.4 square kilometres of prime land in the heart of Mumbai, is home to more than one million residents and is one of the most densely populated informal settlements in the world. It shot to global fame after featuring in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

The redevelopment, estimated to generate more than Dh125 billion in long-term commercial value, has become one of Asia's most closely watched urban transformation projects.

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At the centre of the dispute is SecLink Technologies Corporation, a Dubai-registered consortium that participated in an international tender for the project in 2018 and was declared the highest bidder the following year. The company has approached India's highest court, claiming that, after it was selected and awaiting the formal award, the process was cancelled and fresh rules were introduced that prevented it from participating again.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, SecLink's CMD Nilang Shah said the consortium had already lined up substantial financing before the tender was scrapped.

“We had set aside $4 billion (Dh13.5 billion) as bank guarantee for the project and costs have crossed Dh3.82 billion,” he said, adding that the cost of keeping the financing structure alive continues to mount until the dispute is resolved.

Shah says UAE-based backers committed this capital based on the original tender outcome. That exposure, he said, has since turned into a financial risk for international investors.

Court documents reviewed by Khaleej Times show that Maharashtra invited global bids in late 2018 to redevelop Dharavi.

SecLink competed with several Indian developers and emerged as the top bidder with an offer of around Dh3 billion.

But just before the final contract could be issued, the state cancelled the process.

Two years later, a new tender came out with revised criteria that SecLink says tilted the process against it. The company's petition before the Supreme Court argues that the changes undermined fair competition once the original results were public.

Court documents reviewed by Khaleej Times show that the state government later justified cancelling the original tender by citing the need to include adjoining railway land. But SecLink's rejoinder before the Supreme Court argues that the 2018 tender had already accounted for this, so the cancellation“did not reflect any real change in scope".

SecLink's affidavit says the company was prepared to meet or surpass all terms in the 2022 tender, including payments to Indian Railways, yet was left out despite its readiness to comply.

When the redevelopment was reopened in 2022, SecLink found itself ineligible under the revised criteria. The company says changes to participation rules, bid thresholds and land development provisions shut it out of a project it had already won.

The contract was subsequently awarded to the Adani Group led special purpose vehicle.

In 2024, the Bombay High Court had dismissed SecLink's petition challenging the award of the contract to the Adani Group, ruling that "grounds urged in support of the petition lack force", according to a Reuters report.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government, as well as the Adani Group, denied the allegations in their responses to the petition. The state said its officials had followed due process in cancelling the earlier tender, while Adani argued that the case should be dismissed in the interest of development.

A request for comment sent to the Adani Group did not receive a response at the time of publishing.

In its March 2025 hearing, the Supreme Court recorded that SecLink has offered a higher revised bid - equivalent to more than Dh3.6 billion - and is willing to meet all obligations under the 2022 tender. The bench also noted that the fresh conditions may have been“tweaked so as to disable or oust” SecLink from reapplying and clarified that no“special equities” would accrue to any party while the case is pending.

Separately, the Court has ordered that the“original files shall be produced in court,” meaning all notings, approvals and correspondence from 2018 onward must now be submitted for judicial examination. It has also directed that all project-related payments be routed through a single monitored bank account, effectively placing the execution under court supervision while allowing construction to proceed.

The matter is next listed for hearing on November 13, when the state is expected to produce the full record and SecLink will continue its arguments.

. 2018: Maharashtra invites global bids to redevelop Dharavi, one of the world's largest slum clusters.
. January 2019: SecLink Technologies, a Dubai-based consortium, emerges as the highest bidder with an offer of about Dh3 billion.
. 2019: Government communications confirm SecLink as the top bidder and the project awaiting award stage.
. Late 2020: The state cancels the tender, citing the need to include adjoining railway land, despite no such land having been acquired.
. 2022: A fresh tender is issued under revised eligibility and financial terms that prevent SecLink from participating again. The project is awarded to the Adani Group-led vehicle with a lower bid.
. 2023–2024: SecLink challenges the cancellation and retender before the Bombay High Court.
. March 2025: The Supreme Court agrees to examine the retendering process and notes SecLink's willingness to offer a higher revised bid and match all new obligations.
. March 2025: The Court orders that the“original files” be produced for scrutiny and directs that all project payments be routed through a single monitored account.
. November 13: The state is expected to submit records while SecLink resumes arguments before the Supreme Court.

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