A bench of Justices BR Gavai and CT Ravikumar requested the Central Government through Attorney General for India R Venkataramani to evolve a mechanism that to ensure that conflicting stands of different government departments in Courts are resolved at the government level itself.

The Supreme court stated so after noting of the contrary stand taken by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries in the case of Adani Ports and SEZ.

The Court said "We are of the considered view that it does not augur well for the Union of India to speak in two contradictory voices. The two departments of the Union of India cannot be permitted to take stands which are diagonally opposite ... We, therefore, impress upon the Union of India to evolve a mechanism to ensure that whenever such conflicting stands are taken by different departments, they should be resolved at the governmental level itself."

The Supreme Court delivered the judgment in an appeal by the Central Warehousing Corporation (appellant) against an order of Gujarat High Court that effectively allowed land leased to the appellant to be claimed by Adani Ports. The corporation moved the appeal challenging a Gujarat High Court order passed in June 2021 that enabled the respondents to go about acquiring about 34 acres of land near Mundra Port (owned by Adani Ports) leased to the appellant.

The High Court order was set aside and the pending petitions seeking relief were remanded to a single-judge for fresh decision within six months.

Case DetailsL-

C.A. No. 007277 - 007278 / 2022

Central Warehousing Corporation

vs

Adani Ports SEZ and ors

Read the complete judgment on the following link:-

https://main.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2021/21171/21171_2021_12_1501_38876_Judgement_13-Oct-2022.pdf