Supreme Court Tells Daman & Diu MP to Move Bombay HC on Rs 33-Crore Secretariat Scam Plea
Lok Sabha MP's plea sought SIT probe into the loss in Daman Secretariat renovation, demolition, and restoration works
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea filed by Daman and Diu MP Umeshbhai Babubhai Patel seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into alleged financial irregularities worth about Rs. 33 crore in the renovation, demolition, and restoration of the Union Territory Secretariat building at Moti Daman.
The Bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran directed Patel to approach the Bombay High Court, observing that the issue could be addressed expeditiously there.
During the hearing, Patel’s counsel submitted that the MP has been facing 52 FIRs and was also challenging an order passed by the Lokpal. He alleged that the multiple criminal cases were registered in retaliation for his raising concerns about corruption and financial mismanagement in the Union Territory administration.
“I am a Member of Parliament. There have been 52 FIRs against me. I am also challenging the Lokpal order. All this has the same cause of action. It is happening because I raised my voice,” his lawyer submitted.
Responding, CJI Gavai asked, “Can the law be different for a Member of Parliament and for a common citizen?”
When the counsel insisted that Patel was acting on behalf of the people as an elected representative, the CJI remarked, “That is okay. You can approach the jurisdictional High Court.”
The Bench clarified that the Bombay High Court could take up the matter as early as a day after it is filed.
The petitioner, an elected MP and social worker, in the plea argued that the sequence of tenders issued by the Public Works Department (PWD) between 2020 and 2023 reflected arbitrary decision-making and gross misuse of public funds. According to the petition, the three exercises together resulted in “no net value addition” to the Secretariat, which was ultimately restored to its earlier form despite massive expenditure.
The petition filed through AoR Tushar Manohar Khairnar sets out a detailed timeline:
-October 2020: The Executive Engineer, PWD Works Division No. 1, invited tenders for the renovation of the Secretariat Building at Moti Daman at an estimated cost of Rs. 20.34 crore.
-September 2022: Another tender was floated, this time for the demolition of the building’s front side, with an estimated cost of just Rs. 3.79 lakh.
-September 2023: A third tender was invited for restoration and renovation of the same front portion, pegged at Rs. 12.58 crore.
“The final exercise resulted in restoration of the building as it existed at the end of the first exercise,” the petitioner submitted, alleging that the net result was needless spending and avoidable loss to the public exchequer.
Before moving the Supreme Court, the MP had filed a complaint with the Central Vigilance Commission in March 2025 and subsequently approached the Lokpal of India in April 2025. The complaint named the UT’s top officials; Administrator Praful Khoda Patel, Finance Secretary Gaurav Singh Rajawat, and Collector Saurabh Mishra, for alleged misuse of public money.
Acting on the complaint, the Lokpal directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary inquiry. The CBI’s Anti-Corruption Unit submitted its report in August 2025, acknowledging financial loss but not fixing liability on the named officials. On August 21, 2025, the Lokpal’s bench, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, dropped action against the public servants but recorded that the exchequer had indeed suffered a loss.
The petitioner contended that despite the CBI’s findings, neither the Union government nor the Lokpal had acted to investigate the officials responsible. “The misuse of public money is against the basic principles of governance as the second and third tender did not add any value to the secretariat building,” the plea stated. It further argued that the Centre, being directly responsible for the administration of Union Territories, cannot remain a passive spectator when financial misappropriation at this scale has been flagged. The inaction, the MP submitted, undermines public accountability and erodes citizens’ trust in governance.
Relying on precedents such as Vineet Narain v. Union of India, the petitioner sought the Supreme Court’s intervention for a continuing mandamus to ensure an independent and transparent probe. “In the present circumstances, the petitioner has no other remedy except to approach this Hon’ble Court seeking a writ of mandamus,” the plea read. The petition prayed for the constitution of a Special Investigation Team, monitored by the Supreme Court, to examine the financial irregularities and fix responsibility on officials who allegedly caused loss to the exchequer.
Case Title: Umeshbhai Babubhai Patel v. Union of India & Anr.
Hearing Date: October 14, 2025
Bench: CJI BR Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran